diabetes-information

Health Supplements For Diabetes

2008-11-07T03:37:00.001-08:00

Diabetes maintenance can be extremely difficult for the patient, there are several different health supplements for diabetes which will help maintain insulin and blood sugar levels, if used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise. Before beginning any new supplement, exercise program or diet- please consult with your physician. It's a good idea to work with a physician to help maintain your insulin and blood sugar levels, and to help control diabetes in general. Diabetes can be deadly, so if at any point- regardless of whether you are using traditional medicine or alternative remedies- your symptoms worsen, then please contact your physician immediately! New, different, or an increase in symptoms could mean your condition is worsening.

As far as some general herbal health supplements for diabetes, there are several out there that will help control blood sugar, insulin levels, and increase your body's ability to properly use insulin. Chromium is a wonderful supplement, often used in the form of "chromium picolinate" for weight loss, but when used for supplementing for diabetes, Chromium makes your body's cells more sensitive to insulin, which will help your body make proper use of insulin. A lot of people with Type 2 Diabetes have a chromium deficiency, which makes the symptoms of diabetes less once Chromium is started in most people.

Evening Primrose Oil is a good herbal remedy for one of the most common complications of diabetes, called "neuropathy." When a person with diabetes has difficulty converting linoleic acid into GLA, circulation problems result because GLA deficiency causes less oxygen to reach the nerves in a person's neurosystem. Evening Primrose oil helps with this because Evening Primrose oil is a direct source of GLA. It is for this reason that Evening Primrose Oil is one of the best health supplements for diabetes. It's suspected that taking Evening Primrose Oil before symptoms of neuropathy caused by diabetes start, will actually help prevent diabetes-related neuropathy.

Other good herbal supplements include aloe vera (the juice or capsules containing aloe powder), antioxidants (commonly found in capsule or pill form, or even in tea form), burdock, biotin, coenzyme Q10, dandelion (found in tea or capsule/caplet form, most common is the tea form), DHEA, fiber, ginseng, l-carnitine, magnesium, onions, vitamins C and E. There are many health supplements for diabetes, and several of the herbal remedies have been known to be very effective. It's just important to remember, before starting any kind of supplement or medication- whether herbal or traditional- consult with your physician and a naturopath before beginning any new supplements.

Just like traditional medications and treatments, herbal remedies can- and do- interact with one another and also with traditional medications. The best way to control diabetes is with your physician's guidance, educating yourself, and by making sure you take care of your general over-all health and well-being. A balanced diet, exercise, and education are the best health suppliments for diabetes that there are. Follow the advice of your physician and/or a naturopath to determine which other supplements or herbal remedies are right for you.

Lucy Bushman is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

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What is Diabetes Type 2?

2008-11-07T03:37:00.000-08:00

Diabetes is a condition that occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin. Some people are born with this condition or has the onset of diabetes at an early age. This is called juvenile diabetes or type 1. Type 1 diabetes usually requires insulin injections. The onset of diabetes later in life is called type 2. Type 2 diabetes can be treated and in most cases prevented with simple lifestyle changes.

There have been several factors in the cause of diabetes type 2, but none are definitive. Some studies indicate heredity, obesity, and living a sedentary lifestyle. Also, there are insulin abnormalities that can be the cause of diabetes type 2.

Insulin Abnormalities-
Muscle cells can become resistant to insulin which make excessive insulin to compensate for the resistance. What then happens is a drop in insulin production.

Obesity-
Too much body fat causes the body to work harder to make insulin. Extra sugar is stored in the body as fat, which makes losing weight harder.

Heredity-
Having a sibling or parent who has diabetes means that your are more likely to develop diabetes.

Age-
Nearly 20% of adults over the age of 65 commonly have diabetes type 2.

Lifestyle-
Living a sedentary lifestyle is a cause of diabetes type 2. People who don't exercise at all are at greater risk than those who exercise even a small amount.

Making life decisions will reduce your risk of developing diabetes, and can help reverse the damage to an extent. Losing weight is first and foremost on the list of changes to be made. Getting exercise and drinking lots of water also helps considerably. If you have a parent, or brother or sister who has diabetes, have your doctor check you out. Keep watch on your own glucose levels, and make sure you catch problems as soon as they arise.

Gestational diabetes can also be a cause of diabetes type 2. Seeing a doctor as soon as you suspect you are pregnant will help catch symptoms early. Hypertension is another factor for diabetes. High blood pressure is also another medical problem that is inherited, so check your family history. If your blood pressure runs 140/90 mm Hg or higher, then you are at a greater risk, and should be treated before it can develop into something more.

Knowing your family history and having a good family doctor can help catch early signs of type 2 diabetes. Some symptoms include excessive thirst, frequent urination, excessive hunger, unexplained weight loss, or a general feeling of fatigue. Diabetes often goes undetected which can lead to serious complications, therefore it is extremely important to know the warning signs, especially if someone in your family has diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can be treated with medications in the form of pills, or insulin injections. However, lifestyle changes such as your diet and getting enough exercise can be enough to lower blood sugar levels and medication may not or may no longer be needed. Know your body and know your family history, it could save your life.

Lucy Bushman is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

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Diet Ideas For Gestational Diabetes

2008-11-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

Women of all ages can develop gestational diabetes, but that does not mean that you can't enjoy your pregnancy and eat the foods you crave. Many women find that, as long as they eliminate sugars and carbs, that they can enjoy many of their favorite foods. There are many ways to modify a favorite recipe in order to meet your specific dietary needs without sacrificing flavor. A sample diet for gestations diabetes is a good idea to get you started, along with some ideas on how to meet your nutritional needs.

Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day, and making a poor choice is going to leave you either hungry for a few hours, or with elevated blood sugar for the rest of the day. You need to choose a high-protein food for breakfast, since the protein will help you stay fuller, longer.

Some good ideas for breakfast are:

Peanut butter (all natural; one tablespoon) on one slice of whole wheat bread
An egg with a slice of whole wheat toast
Half a banana or a small handful of blueberries with a few almonds when you are in a rush

Most of the time, you will be allowed to have one carbohydrate with your breakfast, along with a food that is high in protein. Make sure that you choose the items that you need to be healthy, but you can also look for creative ways to make your diet fit your pregnancy cravings, as well.

Lunch Ideas

You may be one of the many women who experience the lunch rush, and need to be able to find foods that fit your sample diet for gestational diabetes quickly and with little or no prep work involved. Now is the time to look at convenience foods, which are easy to grab on the go. One of the best choices is fish or lean meats that are low in sodium and high in protein.

Most women are allowed 45 grams of carbohydrates for their midday meal, so you will have plenty of options available. You can choose fresh veggies, turkey on whole wheat wraps with lettuce and tomato, or even a small piece of fruit. You can also consider preparing whole skinless chicken breasts for part of your lunch the night before.

Dinner Ideas

With a little planning, dinners can be satisfying and easy to prepare. A sample diet for gestational diabetes will contain plenty of protein foods, such as steak and fish. Both of these meats are carb-free, and can be used in many different ways. You can easily grill fish and veggies wrapped in tin foil, and then add a starchy side to meet your carb allowance.

You may also want to include an after dinner snack in your meal plan, so make sure that you do not go over your carb allowance at dinner. There are many sugar and carb free options currently available, either at your local health food store or online, so your diet can be diverse and delicious.

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Challenges You Face With Being Diabetic

2008-11-03T23:33:00.000-08:00

Age can affect diabetes substantially from childhood through old age. With every phase of life, there may be additional or simply different factors at play that you will need to adapt to. Dealing with emotional issues in youngsters, puberty, college years, job stresses, family issues and becoming frailer with age are issues that tend to affect diabetes. Being aware that these issues exist is the first step in dealing with it. Know that these issues occur naturally in life and knowing that diabetes may exacerbate them will make dealing with them a lot easier.

There are lifestyle issues that may greatly complicate the effects of diabetes. School, work, family life, dating and going out with friends can all challenge even the most diligent of diabetes sufferers. It is difficult to be spontaneous when you have diabetes but as long as you are prepared and aware, there is no reason why you can not enjoy all the same activities as your friends and family. You will only need to make some minor adjustments and ensure you are fully prepared in case of a diabetic emergency.

Talking to friends and family about your disease and making them aware of how certain issues should be handled is a great way to make them more aware as well as protect yourself in case you are unable to seek help alone. Make sure you adhere to your dietary requirements. This may be tempting not to do especially if on vacation or out on a date at a fancy restaurant. However, most dining establishments will be more than happy to alter recipes in order to accommodate your needs.

Make sure you always take your medication regularly and on time. In addition, making sure you have extras just in case will allow you a certain amount of freedom and spontaneity. While you and your friends are out and decide to hop a plane to Vegas, you can do so knowing that you are already fully prepared with your prescriptions. You don't have to inconvenience others or miss out on some fun just because you have diabetes.

Depression is common among those with diabetes and part of that is due to the stressors involved with adhering to strict routines. It is also based on the belief that you are missing out on particulars in life. While living with diabetes does mean making some adjustments to your life, they do not have to be extreme. With a little planning and discipline, the preparations and maintenance become routine. Living with diabetes can mean living as normal a life as the rest of your friends and family as long as you take a few precautions.

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Diabetic Meal Plan and Body Weight

2008-10-31T05:14:00.000-07:00

Diabetics with no normal blood sugar levels need care about their body weight. The weight of the body with no control of diabetes depends on the regular diet taken by the individual. If there is no awareness to diabetic meal plan, the condition becomes worse than in any other issue. Weight of the body with diabetic symptoms ought to be kept under control. If it is done, there is much chance for long survival with least problems.

Weight loss and obesity:

If you are not able to see where you are going, you cannot drive the car towards the destiny with safe and secure. Similar thing happens with diabetic diet foods without any control of weight loss or weight increase. A charted program should be there on hand with you regarding the regular meal plan. Increase in body weight affects health with probable diabetes while the vice versa doubles the risk to the body condition. In alternative sense, prevalence of diabetes may hurt the body either with weight loss or obesity. In this regard, regular monitoring of cardiovascular conditions and blood glucose levels are emphasized for a healthy survival against diabetes. The main role is with the diabetic meal plan.

Body mass index:

You can calculate this by a simple formula which implies BMI= (Weight in kilogram) ÷ (Height in meter) 2. If the resultant value is less than 18.5, it is an indication of weight loss. If it gives a value above 25, then the case of obesity is confirmed. It is always safe that the calculated value lies between these two limits having a high risk for health with a mass index value above 30.

Diabetic diet tips for good health:

1. Take breakfast without fail: It prevents from feeling starved and eating a chocolate paste from the shop around the morning hours.

2. Drink 3litres of water daily: It keeps the digestion system free and clean and makes to feel full in general.

3. Eat at regular intervals: it is not at all advisable until you feel starving for food.

4. Eat much fruits and vegetables: Fruits prevent lowering blood sugar and vegetables preferably raw ones enrich energy.

5. Limit your alcohol intake: It stimulates the appetite. If at all you have a taste for it, be confined with dry white wine.

6. Brush your teeth often: When brushing and gargling with pure water, you are less likely to be tempted to snack.

7. Divided meals: It is always good for diabetics to follow this system instead of bulk intake.

Diabetes diet menu to lose weight

1. Eating vegetables: Most of the vegetables are low in calories, but high in volume.

2. Eating fruits: Practically almost all fruits are good for health but with less sweet is the best choice. Canned fruits with no added sugar are better options than fruit juices and dried fruits.

3.Carbohydrates: Low carb diet foods like Cereals, rice, bread and pasta are rich food items for body build up. Whole grains are best since they're higher in fiber and essential nutrients.

4. Protein/Dairy: The best choice of foods high in protein, but low in fat and calories are such as beans, peas, lentils, fish, skinned white-meat poultry, fat-free dairy products and egg whites.

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Don't Let Diabetes Stop You From Traveling

2008-10-31T05:13:00.000-07:00

Back in the day, if you had diabetes taking a trip was almost out of the question. But nowadays, with a little effort, the right prescription, and proper planning, stress free vacation is within your reach.

First and foremost, make sure that you pack enough insulin before you leave. To make it easier to carry your insulin and diabetes supplies, it's a good idea to diabetic supply case. Good cases have compartments for insulin pens, lancing devices, meters, and test strips. They are essential for organizing all of your diabetic supplies when you're on the go.

Now that you have your supplies organized, you'll want to get a diabetic bag designed for travel. Having sufficient drinking water and snacks is essential in maintaining proper blood sugar levels. That's why you need a bag that will hold your supply case and include room for carrying health snacks, juices, and water. Top of the line diabetic bags also have cell phone holders and room for your laptop computer. There are also diabetic purses just for women.

Apart from your travel-pack, wearing your medical alert bracelet and other medical information along with you diabetic traveling case at all times is very crucial. People around you are not mind readers. Chances of a doctor present at the time you faint or collapse is not very high so to take the extra measures wouldn't hurt you. It could save you. With the necessary medical information with you, people will know how to help you in case of an emergency.

Being a person diagnosed with diabetes, your blood glucose level can fluctuate easily. People often times take part in many recreational activities on vacations such as swimming, surfing, or rock climbing. Sometimes physical activity can trigger insulin. fluctuation so be careful with what you do and how you do it. Another safety tip while planning a trip is to let your family and friends know your traveling details. It is always good to let your closest people know your whereabouts so that they can help in case of emergency.

Maintaining proper nutrition is often hard to do on vacations because you eat out a lot at different restaurants. Here's a tip that might help a lot of diabetics. When going to new food outlets and eateries, check their nutritional information so that it is in line to your doctor's dietary recommendation. It's often helpful to keep dietary recommendation checklist in your diabetic organizer.

Diabetes, in no way, should be a restriction to your traveling. By following the tips that I have provided, you can still travel and enjoy an active lifestyle.

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Self-Care For Individuals With Diabetes

2008-10-21T05:34:00.001-07:00

A proactive attitude towards your diabetes treatment is crucial in preventing complications. Diabetics can't just delegate their care to their health care provider. They have to be constantly involved.

While everyone should have an annual physical, eye exam, and dental exam, this is especially important for diabetics. You also need to inform the dentist and eye doctor that you are diabetic so they can be alert to the special problems that accompany diabetes.

Since high blood sugar levels weaken your immune system, you are more vulnerable to infections, flu and pneumonia. It is there important to do as much as possible to prevent these. Make sure your vaccinations for flu, tetanus, and pneumonia are current.

Diabetics need to take particularly good care of their feet. Diabetes can damage the nerves in your feet as well as reduce the flow of blood to your feet. That means you can injure a foot and not even be aware of it. It also means that the injuries will be more difficult to heal. So you need to check your feet daily for blisters, cuts, bruises, cracking, redness, and swelling.

You also need to keep your feet clean and dry. Wash your feet daily using gentle motions, a soft washcloth and a mild soap. Gently dry your feet giving careful attention to your toes. If your skin is dry, apply a moisturizer.

Change socks daily and avoid bulky socks or sock with tight elastic bands. Buy comfortable, safe shoes. They should have soft leather tops and flexible soles. Shoes with low heels and closed toes are safer and provide more comfort.

Diabetics need to be very particular about shoe fit. It is recommended that you shop for shoes late in the afternoon or evening. Then you will be trying them on at the time of day when your feet are most likely to swell. Your shoes should be large enough to accommodate normal swelling.

Diabetics should positively not smoke. People who have diabetes and smoke are increasing their risk of heart attack, stroke, nerve damage and kidney infections. In spite of that, it is estimated that 25% of Americans who are diabetic do smoke.

Diabetics also need to monitor their blood pressure. They are more vulnerable to developing high blood pressure than people who do not have diabetes. This is especially true of Blacks and Hispanics. High blood pressure causes from 35% to 75% of all complications that can accompany diabetes.

Individuals with diabetes also need to learn to manage stress. When we're under stress we tend not to eat properly or get the right amount of sleep.
The lifestyle practices that accompany stress are very detrimental to diabetics. Also, if the stress is excessive or lasts for a long time, our bodies produce hormones that block the effect of insulin. The result is a rise in blood sugar.

So it is important to employ stress-reduction techniques such as maintaining a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly.

Also look for ways to lighten the stress. This could mean evaluating your daily commitments to see what could be eliminated or reduced; avoiding or limiting time with people who cause you stress, and if work is the problem, seeking out ways to lighten your load.

There are also stress-busting practices such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing and relaxation that you can learn to do and apply in stressful situations.

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A Guide to Tap Water Filters and Tap Water Purifiers

2008-10-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

What's the difference between a tap water filter and a tap water purifier? Basically, a tap water filter will reduce only certain contaminants, usually just chlorine. A multi-stage tap water purifier on the other hand removes a wide range of contaminants by including a number of stages.

It's important to understand the difference before you go shopping. There are many products on the market and many are a real waste of money.

The least expensive (typically Brita) will only reduce chlorine and lower the lead content, according to their product performance data. A tap water purifier should do much more.

If you are serviced by a public treatment facility, this is a list of the contaminants that are most likely present in your water supply, along with the health problems that these impurities can cause.

· Cysts, parasites in an early stage of development that cause waterborne illnesses similar to food poisoning. Children with poorly developed immune systems and adults with dysfunctional immune systems can die from the infection. The EPA warns that cysts may be present in any supply at any time and can even be found in bottled brands.
· Chlorine and other chemical disinfectants cause anemia in children, gastrointestinal problems in adults.
· Trihalomethanes, THMs or disinfection byproducts are present in any publicly treated supply. Exposure occurs through drinking, bathing, cooking, washing dishes and showering. This exposure doubles your risk of bladder cancer and increases your risk of colorectal cancer by 40%.
· Lead, a heavy metal, causes brain damage, learning disorders, anti-social behavior and other problems in children. Tiny traces build up in the body over the course of one's lifetime and increase the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
· Other cancer causing chemicals including Atrazine, lindane, alachlor, benzene and TCE.

A tap water filter may remove some of these things. An effective tap water purifier removes more than 99% of each one. You can check for certifications and product performance data, before you buy, but here are some of the facts about the different systems on the market.

A reverse osmosis tap water filter will remove cysts and reduce lead to the "federal action level". Although expensive, they are not effective against chemical contaminants, at all. The only effective system that includes a reverse osmosis step costs nearly $800 and that's just for an under-the-counter unit. The thing about it is you do not need a reverse osmosis step.

A tap water purifier that includes submicron filtration will remove cysts. A system that includes ion exchange will reduce 99.99% of all of the traces of lead that may be present in your home. A multi-media block will trap all of the chemicals mentioned above. Just three steps and about $100 for the safest, best tasting water on the planet.

Remember that THM exposure occurs in the shower, as well. You should also remember to purify what you cook with. Any tap water filter is better than none. But, the purer, the better, in my opinion, so check water purifiers out today. The sooner the better.

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Atkins Diet - Perfect For Diabetics?

2008-10-17T03:45:00.001-07:00

The main idea of the Atkins diet is to improve one's eating habits. It is focused on having a balanced intake of proteins and carbohydrates. In reality, this is not what's happening to most people. Most are going for the much easier to prepare processed foods which contains high content of sugar and carbohydrates. With this, high rates of people with diabetes and related conditions occur nowadays. This is regardless of diabetes having worsened in stages and can be easily identified.

How does diabetes develop? One factor is the glycemic index which is the index of carbohydrates taken in and produces reactions to create insulin. Carbohydrates with high glycemic index will release a lot of insulin. Refined sugar is an example of food that has high glycemic index.

Children digest high carb foods easily because young bodies have a more active metabolism than adults. This is the reason why weight gain and mood swings are doubtful during our younger years. But as we age, effects are getting more visible. One clear example of this is the high percentage of adults being obese as they reach their middle age.

Obesity is caused by insulin resistance. People experiencing this are not able to utilize their insulin for proper exclusion of glucose from the bloodstream. This also injures the pancreas where a lot of insulin is released. This causes the blood sugar level to decrease.

Prolonged intake of foods high in carbohydrate will cause diabetes. Fat is created by the insulin produced in the body, once weight boosts up; it leads to late onset diabetes. Diagnosis can detect a pre-diabetic condition. It must be taken care of right away or it might lead to an irrecoverable diabetic state.

It is easy to diagnose diabetes. Insulin test can be done to detect this disease. If confirmed, the patient is then given a low carb diet like the Atkins diet. This diet helps manage the blood sugar.

The Atkins diet is consisting of important carbohydrates with fats and proteins. These keeps the body feels satisfied and full to prevent cravings for food. Thus, helps the pancreas to function well and avoid further problems that will be caused by diabetes. Atkins diet helps keep the blood sugar level at a desirable rate which keeps you away from a dangerous disease like diabetes.

See the only Master Cleanse diet used by Hollywood Celebrities such as Beyonce to lose 20 Pounds!

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"Pork Rinds Are Healthy" and Other Lies We Tell

2008-10-17T03:45:00.000-07:00

This week an administrator in one of my buildings asked me to talk to a female resident about her diet. I will call this resident "Ethel". Ethel chronically complains to me and the staff about her food. She said the food from the nursing home kitchen is too "greasy" and "spicy". She also stated she had two strokes and it was because of the nursing home food. What she did not tell me on my prior visits was she had a staff member buying her food. The staff member provided me Ethel's shopping list. The list included Pepper Jack cheese, Vienna sausage and fried pork rinds. When I approached Ethel about her shopping list, Ethel responded, "Pork Rinds are healthy. Besides, I only started eating them with the colored gal here. She's my friend" I shot back with my usual dry humor, "Ethel what color is she"? Ethel yelled, "You know what color she is, she's your color!" I did not want to upset her so I asked if I could also explain the situation to her friend. Ethel told me her friend died six months ago from a stroke. I realized at that point Ethel was not exactly "connecting the dots."

Ethel's lack of understanding is justifiable. She has a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a limited amount of education. Anyone in the 21st century who refers to another grown woman as a "colored gal" is not obviously receptive to change. Furthermore, pork rinds are advertised as low carbohydrate food and we all know low carbohydrate food equals healthy food, right? Now, I would like to discuss some other lies we tell:

1. Size does not matter.

Let me explain my position. You should feel good about yourself no matter how much you weigh. I have no problem if you want to wear a bikini on the beach and weigh 400 pounds. This is not a matter of your self-esteem; it is a matter of your health. If you have a BMI (body mass index) greater than 25, you are at risk of developing type II diabetes. If you already have type II diabetes, losing 5% to 7% of your body weight (10 to 14 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds) can improve your blood sugar. You do not have to look like Kate Moss to control your diabetes.

2. Only people who go to the gym get proper exercise.

The National Weight Control Registry is an organization that monitors individuals who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept the weight off longer than one year. The average weight loss of the participants is 66 pounds and the average time of maintaining their weight is five years. According to the registry, walking is the number one exercise. Most of the participants walk daily. You can start slowly by walking for 10 minutes several times a day. You can also burn calories by cleaning your house, gardening or washing your car. You can even exercise in your chair. Just move!

3. Eating at restaurants is cheaper than cooking.

Eating at McDonald's or the nearest buffet may be more convenient than cooking at home but it is definitely not cheaper. In addition, processed food is not cheaper than whole food. You can make more chips from a bag of potatoes as opposed to buying a bag of potato chips; however I would not recommend it. The old credo "time is money" does not apply either. Think of how much time and money are wasted with extra doctor visits or medications because you did not take control of your health. Plus, think of time lost because you die earlier than you intended.

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Diabetes Medications Could Suffer From Drug Spending Caps

2008-10-17T03:43:00.000-07:00

Diabetes medications are necessary for chronic illnesses like diabetes but many seniors have to stop taking them when they go beyond their drug plan's annual spending limits. The drug spending caps made some seniors stop taking key medicines. This finding has been reported by a Rand Corporation research.

This study which observed how seniors registered with a national private health plan reacted, gives insight into what responses seniors have under the Medicare's new drug plan. This will leave about a third of those registered without coverage for diabetes medications for some part of the year when the quota is reached.

Geoffrey Joyce, Rand's lead author of this study, said that prescription use falls considerably when the patients reach their limit. So this is troubling because most of the drugs studied by Rand, a nonprofit research organization, prevent complications. Therefore there will be unfavorable health effects for seniors who reach their limit.

This research examined the use of prescription drug from 2003 to 2005 of more than 60,000 patients enrolled in the plan for retirees. The prescription drug examined included diabetes medications. There were two plans offered with a drug benefit limit of $1000 or $2500 and another with no limit.

For each plan the enrollee had to pay part of each drug purchase. Of those enrolled, the study found about 6% to 13% reached their limit in each of the years. Half of these went without benefits for more than three months. The trouble is that when the benefits resume at the beginning of a new plan year, a considerable number of seniors do not restart their treatment including the use of diabetes medications.

These findings were reported in the September/October issue of the journal "Health Affairs". Dana Goldman, the director of health economics at Rand and this study's senior author, said that this is worrying for although drug limits are a cost-saving measure, the results of the study show that in the long run this may result in more medical costs due to more hospital admissions.

Medicare Benefits are of two parts: Parts A and B, It is highly recommended for diabetics to get Medicare Part B. However, neither covers diabetes pills. Medicare Part C is not available everywhere and it covers almost the same as what Parts A and B cover. Yet one is required to get Parts A and B before qualifying. It was good that by January 1, 2006, it is no longer available in its old form.

By December 2003, the Medicare Modernization Act was passed. This allowed people on Medicare to enroll in Medicare-Approved Drug Discount card which allowed them to save money until the Part D prescription drug benefit began in January 2006.

It is hoped that the policy makers will take this into consideration. Coverage for preventive care like how to prevent diabetes is key and in 2005 Medicare started offering screening test. This way people can work on reversing diabetes through lifestyle changes. Hopefully then they may not have any need for diabetes medications.

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Gestational Diabetes Symptoms and Gestational Diabetes Overview

2008-10-14T04:18:00.000-07:00

The types of diabetes that most people know of are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Today, we are going to look into another "not so popular" but a common type of diabetes for pregnant mothers - gestational diabetes. Apart from explaining briefly what gestational diabetes is all about, we are going to dive into gestational diabetes symptoms as well.

Gestational Diabetes Overview

It occurs when a pregnant mother's body forms insulin resistance due to the higher production rate of hormones like estrogen and cortisol. Under a normal situation, the amount of insulin produced by a pregnant mother will be much higher than a normal person in order to counter the resistance.

In the case of a gestational diabetes, the amount of insulin produced by the mother is not enough to combat the overwhelming hormone production. Pregnant mothers have a high risk of contracting the disease during the 19th to 24th week of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is manageable through various glucose levels monitoring.

For the baby, however, something called macrosomia will develop. The baby will have a larger size compared to others due to the high glucose level that prompts the fetus to produce its own insulin that turns the excess glucose into fat. Hypoglycemia is also very likely to happen to the baby but all these are manageable if gestational diabetes symptoms are spotted early on.

Gestational Diabetes Symptoms

The symptoms faced by these mothers are usually same as those face by a diabetes patient. Some of the common symptoms include frequent urination, fatigue, extreme weight loss even with nutritional menu, vision problems and nausea. However, since this type of diabetes is not as serious as type 1 and type 2, the symptoms are not as significant and patients might not even have any symptoms.

Spotting the Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes

Since the symptoms may be vague, doctors will have to depend on the accuracy of blood glucose tests. These tests are normally carried out in the 23rd to 26th week during pregnancy. If the results are positive, doctors will put the mother under monitoring and will do their best to lower the glucose level.

Some women have a very low risk of contracting the disease. Women who are younger than 25 years old, have a normal weight prior to pregnancy, with no genetic traits of diabetes and no history of excessive glucose levels are normally free from the clutches of the disease and glucose level tests are not required.

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How to Maintain Normal Blood Sugar Levels - Real Life Experience

2008-10-14T04:17:00.000-07:00

Human health and Mechanical life:

By years rolling on, it is getting mechanized in all walks of life. This is due to the vast development of latest technologies in various areas influencing human life. In one angle, the enhancement of technical support makes human life lazier as well as easier. Naturally the love for sophisticated life is increasing proportionally everyday with everybody. In another angle, sophisticated life style is the worst machinery resulting in several bodily diseases. Among them, Blood pressure and blood sugar are significantly serious ones. The main reason is want of sufficient knowledge about the actual nature of diabetes and controlling blood sugar.

What is normal blood sugar level?

It is simply beating the same track repeatedly to mention that it is 70 - 100 as fasting blood sugar level and 100 - 140 mgms as random. But anyhow it is not exclusive since there are some factors influencing normal blood sugar.

Tips to diabetics with high blood sugar:

Diabetes can be overcome by following tips for controlling blood sugar.

1. Consulting a physician and taking medicines to reduce blood sugar
2. Planning and fixing the life style and taking balanced diet.
3. Self study and avoiding unnecessary fear.
4. Observing other diabetic patients and getting clues
5. Saying good bye to mechanized way of life
6. Physical exercise to boost up the heart function
7. Awareness of the problem and avoiding unnecessary fears and imaginations
8. Blood sugar level should be compared with age
9. Know that sugar level depends on dosage and quality of tablets taken
10. Know that sugar level in random test depends on the time passed after taking food, quantity and quality of food

Success rate to maintain normal sugar levels:

If a diabetic patient is simply to depend on medical care alone, the level of success rate to maintain normal blood sugar levels is not so appreciable. If the patient plans well his ways, it helps to fix the cause and effect in which the success rate to maintain normal fasting blood sugar level as well as random blood sugar level is a little higher. If he takes efforts to study his health condition by introspection with reference to each and every action taken by him and the consequences, it helps more to maintain his own health against diabetes. Along with these, close observation and sharing of experiences regarding the diabetic problems of others also gives him confidence that he is better than others.

Psychological support to reduce high blood sugar level:

Psychologically one should think to feel better than others. Unnecessary fears created by medical warnings like "Diabetes cannot be cured totally but can be maintained only", " You cannot overcome the hereditary effects of diabetes from parents", " Diabetes follows and has its end until the last day of life", "Diabetes is a silent killer", "Periodical test should be taken at least once in three months". It is true to certain extent only and not to worry much. There are diabetics who have overcome its intensity and maintain normal health even without paying for consultants and medicines but simply by following the tips in guiding how to maintain normal blood sugar levels sticking to the restricted and balanced food habits.

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Diabetes - Historical Overview

2008-10-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

The word "diabetes" from Greek means "outflow"; so actually it means "out flowing of glucose" or "losing glucose" which shows that one of the basic symptoms of the disease is the loss of glucose with urine.

The history of diabetes goes back to 100 BS when it was first defined as the separate disease. In 100 BS a physician Aretains said that diabetes is a mysterious disease. These words are fair nowadays because the cause of the disease and its complications are still not explained. It is also still unclear how to treat the disease - the symptoms can be removed or eliminated but not the disease itself.

In XVII Tomas Willis was the first to find out the sweet taste of urine of patients with diabetes. His discovery was used by physicians to make a diagnosis. In 1889 Paul Langergans in his research work with microscopical structure of pancreatic gland saw the group of morphologically same cells called 'islets of Langergans' but he wasn't able to explain their function and significance in the human body.

Mering and Mincovsky in 1889 in their experiments caused the developing of diabetes in animals by resecting pancreatic gland.

In 1921, Banty and Best extracted insulin from pancreatic tissues. This substance stopped the symptoms in diabetic dogs. Since then insulin has been the main cure of the disease.

In 1922 insulin was used to treat a man with diabetes.

In 1960 the chemical structure of human insulin was determined.

And in 1979 the human insulin was created using the method if genetic engineering.

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Food on a Budget and Diabetes Type II

2008-10-12T04:36:00.000-07:00

Shopping on a budget is never easy, but it can be more challenging if you are a diabetic. With the cost of living always going up, the importance of shopping wisely increases too. In order to keep costs down it is imperative that you know what you can eat and what substitutes you can use so that you can look around for the best bargains while maintaining a healthy eating regime that you can enjoy.

Although frozen and tinned vegetables can help as you can keep them the food larder and use them as additions and top ups to your food, the most important thing is to plan your meals. This way you can decide exactly what foods you need for your meals and shop accordingly. If you have a garden or access to a vegetable plot, now might be a good time to grow your own vegetables. This will help with your exercise needs as well as ensuring you have a cheap but nutritious supply of healthy vegetables when ever you need them. Careful planning can ensure a reasonable all year supply of different aspects of the food chain, especially if you have access to a greenhouse or conservatory.

Foods containing carbohydrates such as potatoes and bread, are the most recommended foods for Type II diabetes. It may mean changing your lifestyle but the benefits can be huge. If you plan carefully, you can follow a fairly regular diet that few of your friends would realize was a diabetic diet. In fact, a diabetic diet is a well balanced and healthy diet with all the main food groups and nutrients included. It is eating in moderation rather than in gluttony and coupled with exercise is one that many of our friends may well want to copy.

Eating The Right Foods Can Preserve Your Life

When the disease is first diagnosed, it can be a shock and the apparent end of "normal" life. However, it can also be used to start a healthy lifestyle and begin enjoying life to the full. Many people with diabetes will have been feeling unwell and as soon as they start to follow a healthier diet, much of this will change.

It is often a good idea to consult a dietician, who will offer suggestions and support to explain the kinds of foods you should be eating and the ones to reduce or avoid. This will help to relieve the initial emotional strain and stress of the diagnosis. It will also serve as a template for future eating habits. It is really important to follow such a diet as it will help to regulate your body's functions and enable it to maintain a more stable blood sugar level which is essential. You will probably find you are eating more raw fruit and vegetables, which are low in fat as well as salt, and supply sugar in its more natural state which is easier for the body to process.

There is also a buddy system available which many find extremely helpful. This is especially so for those who are living on their own. It is really important to view this situation as the chance to start to live and enjoy a healthier lifestyle, a springboard to a new and better future.

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Challenges of Treating Diabetes in Seniors

2008-10-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a disease that is increasingly common and affects more than 24 million Americans. Those who are over the age of 55 are at increased risk of getting diabetes and almost 1/2 of all cases of Diabetes are diagnosed in people who are 55 or older.

In all people diabetes is a disease that can affect how efficiently your body uses insulin and how much it produces. There are several symptoms of diabetes, such as frequent urination, increased thirst, blurry vision, and slow healing wounds, but for many the onset of the symptoms is gradual, so they go unnoticed. For seniors, the symptoms, like blurry vision or increased fatigue, are things that occur with age, so they might not realize that they have diabetes until they become seriously ill.

Testing for diabetes is something that can and should be done at all ages, but people who are over 40 should begin regularly scheduled tests. This is because almost 20% of all people who are over 60 have diabetes and beginning at age 40, you are at increased risk.

For seniors, the treatment of diabetes can present several problems. Often if the senior does not drive, then it can become difficult to make it to the doctor. Things like memory loss and poor sight can also complicate the treatment of diabetes.

Part of the treatment of diabetes usually involves regularly testing your blood sugar levels. If blood sugar is too low or high, then there are special medicines that should be administered. Seniors with memory loss might not be able to consistently remember to test their blood sugar and take their medicine as scheduled.

Poor vision can make the treatment more difficult in several ways. Cuts and wounds are much slower to heal for those that have diabetes. A foot ulcer, which is an open sore, is in many ways the most dangerous to an individual with diabetes and if un-treated can lead to amputation. It is important to inspect your feet and the rest of your body for cuts or sores, because in order to be treated, they must be caught quickly.

Seniors who have limited vision often are unable to visually inspect their body, so must rely on feel, to feel their body for cuts or sores. This can make inspecting the feet difficult as many are unable to bend that far. Sometimes due to reduced sensitivity of the fingers, cuts and wounds are also missed.

Another important part of treating diabetes is maintaining a well regulated diet. This means eating the right foods at the right time. Often seniors have difficulty not only remembering to eat, but also following a diabetic menu. Most cities offer services to seniors and can bring them food on a regular basis, so this is often the best choice.

Exercise is another factor that is very important for properly treating diabetes, but getting motivated and following a workout plan is not always easy. Most cities host senior workout groups and this can be a good activity, both mentally and as a means of treating diabetes. Many pools also offer water exercise programs, which are a safe and fun way to exercise.

Seniors face some addition difficulties when diagnosing and treating diabetes. Understanding these difficulties is the first step in dealing with and maintaining a healthy lifestyle after being diagnosed with diabetes.

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Identifying Symptoms of Diabetes

2008-10-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a disease that affects many millions of people all over the world. It can usually be successfully treated and in most cases, individuals are able to lead healthy lives, but it is important to properly diagnose diabetes as quickly as possible.

What is Diabetes

There are two main types of diabetes, but they both affect the way that the body produces and uses insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas and is used by the body to turn food, like sugar, into energy. In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin and this means that your blood sugar is not properly handled. Type 2 diabetes, is distinguished by a resistance to the effects of insulin, but, like Type 1 diabetes, and also involves a reduction in the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas.

Symptoms

Knowing and recognizing the symptoms of diabetes are very important, because an un-diagnosed case of diabetes can result in death or serious injury. Sluggishness, extreme fatigue, excessive thirst, increased urination, and blurry vision are some of the more common signs of diabetes. Slow healing wounds are also often a characteristic and can result in serious complications, such as amputation, in those affected by diabetes. Usually those that are affected by Type 1 diabetes will notice that the symptoms set in very quickly, often in only a few weeks.

Those that have Type 2 diabetes might not notice the symptoms, because they set in much slower and can often be very subtle. Often in these cases diabetes is not detected until a serious health problem occurs. This includes strokes, heart attacks, foot ulcers, and fungal infections, which are often caused by untreated diabetes. Other conditions, like high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and pancreatitis can also be indications of diabetes.

Treatment

It is a good idea to be screened periodically for diabetes, but for people who are overweight or those that have experienced the symptoms stated above, it is imperative to have a blood screening. There are several different tests, but they generally involve glucose monitoring.

The type of treatment prescribed will vary and depends on the type of diabetes the patient has. Generally those that have Type 1 diabetes use a type of insulin replacement treatment. This involves constant measuring of the blood glucose levels and then injecting insulin as needed. Some people use insulin pumps instead of shots. Insulin pumps are devices that attach to the body and administer doses of insulin automatically.

People who have Type 2 diabetes are generally not able to inject insulin and it is usually dangerous to do so, because their body does not properly use it. Proper diet and exercise, while also important for Type 1 diabetes, is essential for those who have Type 2 diabetes. In large part maintaining a healthy diet and regularly exercising can control Type 2 diabetes. There are also several drugs that are used to increase the bodies absorption of insulin or glucose.

Diabetes is a disease that can, in most cases, be treated, but it is essential to diagnose it as early as possible.

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Diabetes Affects Millions

2008-10-04T03:04:00.000-07:00

Over 15 million Americans have diabetes but half of them don’t know it. Most live in the city and the disease is prevalent among white collar workers. Of the diabetics surveyed, only about one-fourth consulted a doctor and were being treated.

"Worldwide, more than 50 million people suffer from some form of diabetes. Diabetes used to be considered a disease of rich people and rich nations. Not anymore. Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) have noted that the highest prevalence rates of diabetes are found in developing countries," said the editors of Health Alert, a publication of the Health Action Information Network (HAIN).

Diabetes mellitus has been with us since ancient times. The Greeks gave the disease its present name which means "to run through" after observing diabetics urinated more than other people. The word mellitus or sweet was added in the 17th century to distinguish it from diabetes insipidus, a different disease caused by a pituitary gland disorder.

Most people think that diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar or sweets. But even if you eat tons of sugar, you won't get diabetes provided you have enough insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that is needed to metabolize and maintain normal levels of blood sugar.

"Although people with diabetes usually must limit their intake of sugar, it is the inability to produce or use insulin, not the amount of sugar they consume, that causes the disease," according to Carol Ann Rinzler in Feed A Cold, Starve A Fever: A Dictionary of Medical Folklore.

There are two types of diabetes. One is insulin-dependnotent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) which is also known as type I, juvenile, ketosis-prone, or juvenile-onset diabetes. In this condition, the pancreas produces little or no insulin because special cells within that organ needed to create insulin have been destroyed by the body.

"This is a good example of an autoimmune disease in which a 'normal* constituent is perceived by the body to be an 'enemy' and so 'killed.' We're not sure why this happens in some children and not in others. It has been suggested that a viral infection early in life is the trigger for this bizarre response. Regardless of the underlying cause, these diabetic youngsters have no insulin," explained Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld of the New York Hospital - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in The Best Treatment.

IDDM can affect anyone but it usually occurs in children and young adults. Young males appear to be more susceptible to the disease than females. Heredity is believed to be a factor since children who have two diabetic parents have a 20 percent risk of acquiring the disease. To prevent complications and death, these people regularly need insulin injections. (Next: Symptoms of diabetes.)

Since obesity can worsen diabetes, keep your weight down to a healthy level. You can do this with the help of Zyroxin, a safe and natural supplement that will maximize your weight loss through its unique fat-burning ingredients.

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Diabetes Symptoms.

2008-10-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is the disease, caused by the absolute or relative insufficiency of insulin and characterizing by the disturbance of the exchange of carbohydrates with hyperglycemia and glucosuria, and also by other metabolism disturbances.
Diabetes is a very wide spread disease about 2-4% of all people suffer from it. According to the statistical data 50% of patients with diabetes die from the myocardial infarction, from blindness, from atherosclerosis of extremities, pyelonephritis, urolithic disease.
The basic internal reasons which cause diabetes mellitus include: heredity, autoimmune, vascular disorders, obesity.
The external reasons are mental and physical injuries, virus infections, injury, intoxication, hypodynamia.
The insufficiency of insulin leads to the disturbance of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. Hyperglycemia and glucosuria appears. The production of fats is reduced and disintegration of fats is strengthened. All of these increases the ketonic bodies production . This causes acidosis.
There are different types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes, which is characterized by inability of pancreas to produce insulin. In most cases it appears in young people under 25 years old. Type 1 has the expressed clinical symptomatology including ketoacidosis. It begins very quickly, sometimes with the appearance of diabetic coma.

The main patient complaints are xerostomia, thirst, polyuria(frequent urination), weight loss, weakness, reduction of the ability to work, increased appetite, skin itch, pyoderma, furunculosis. Headache, insomnia, irritability, pain in the heart area and in the gastrocnemius muscles are frequently observed. In patients with decreased immunity tuberculosis, kidney diseases can develop. The increased level of glucose is determined during blood and urine tests.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance. It appears usually in elders with the excess weigh of the body. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by a slow inception. The level of insulin is usually within the limits of standard or can exceed it. The main complaints are: thirst, frequent urination, the increased appetite, patients suffer obesity.

Diabetes mellitus can have different complications: microangiopathy, neuropathy, angiopathy of the vessels and skin, muscles, accelerated development of atherosclerosis.

Diabetic retinopathy is characterized by dilation of retina's veins, by exudation and petechial hemorrhages into retina, thrombosis of capillaries. In severe cases scaling of retina, atrophy of the optical nerve are possible. Frequently the concomitant eye diseases can occur : blepharitis, the disturbance of refraction and accommodation, cataract, glaucoma and others.

The kidney disorders are manifested with intercapillary glomerulosclerosis and sclerosis of afferent arterioles. Diabetic neuropathy causes the involvements of central and peripheral nervous system.
The patients complain about the numbness, the spasms in the extremities, the pains in the feet. Reflexes, tactile, painful sensitivity are reduced. Also disorders can appear if bladder 's function or potency in men is decreased.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is developed as a result of insulin insufficiency during the incorrect treatment of diabetes mellitus, as a result of diet disturbance, mental and physical injury. This condition is characterized by intensive production of ketone bodies in the liver and an increased level in blood. Some hemodynamic disturbances can be developed.

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As Diabetes Costs Rise, Nutrition Education Can Help Companies And Employees

2008-10-04T03:01:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a very expensive health problem for employees, people with diabetes, and ultimately everyone. The American Diabetes Association reports in the United States we have 17.5 million people with diabetes. The total estimated cost of diabetes in 2007 was $174 billion, with $116 billion being medical spending and $58 billion coming from reduced productivity at work. (Source: Diabetes Care March 2008) Ultimately diabetes increases costs for everyone due to higher insurance premiums.

How can employers help reduce cost from diabetes? Until we have a cure there are two ways to decrease cost. One is to screen for diabetes at the workplace to catch diabetes in the early stages when it is easier and less costly to manage. The second strategy is to help employees with diabetes get better control of their diabetes to reduce the chance of costly complications.

To explain further these two strategies, we need to understand where the highest costs of diabetes occur. The average cost for a diabetes hospital stay is $1853 per day. Compare that to a doctor visit for diabetes at $132. Which one is more cost effective? Regular doctor visits every 3-6 months are recommended for achieving optimal diabetes care. The physician will ideally have diabetes educators also to help the patient learn how to better manage their diabetes with medication, monitoring, food and exercise. However, what if your employee does not like to go to the doctor? Then they will not be getting the blood tests, exam and education that help them manage their diabetes and prevent costly complications. If they are not feeling well they may miss more work days as well.

What if you have a diabetes nutrition educator at your workplace? Registered dietitians that are also certified diabetes educators are a great resource for the worksite. They have the nutrition, exercise and diabetes knowledge and can set up education and diabetes screening programs. Many dietitians are already contracting with companies to nutrition and wellness programs for worksites.

Early screening for diabetes can catch prediabetes, which is diagnosed when blood sugars are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes. Learning how to make lifestyle changes at this stage can delay the onset of diabetes for years, thus reducing the overall cost of diabetes.

The April 2008 issue of Diabetes Care discusses how nutrition education is linked to fewer hospitalizations. In a study of 18,404 diabetic patients that were followed for 4.7 years on average, 9.1% had at least one nutrition visit. Compared to those patients who had no education, those who had one education visit had 34% lower hospitalization rate. This lower rate was associated with $11,571 less in hospital charges. Nutrition visits were associated with the greatest reductions in hospitalization.

To quote the American Diabetes Association position statement regarding the economic costs of diabetes, "Much of this cost is preventable through improved diet and exercise, prevention initiatives to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and its co-morbidities, and improved care for people with diabetes to reduce the need for costly complications." Dietitians who specialize in diabetes are the experts to look for in helping to accomplish these three tasks because they have a combined knowledge of food, nutrition and diabetes treatments.

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Would Your Doctor Take This Diabetes Drug?

2008-09-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

Would your doctor take Avandia for diabetes? I doubt it, especially since it could cause a heart attack.

A study found that people, who took Avandia for at least a year, increased their risk of heart failure or a heart attack by 109 percent and 42 percent, respectively.

These numbers are alarming.

Thankfully this knowledge has lessened its use but simply switching to metformin may not be the answer either. Metformin is a drug that makes your body's tissues more sensitive to insulin and it's the drug of choice for type 2 diabetes.

This is unfortunate because type 2 diabetes is 100% avoidable and can be treated primarily through proper diet and exercise.

Type 2 diabetes stems from an insulin problem where leptin signaling is working as it should. Therefore, diabetes can be controlled by recovering your insulin and leptin sensitivities.

There is a lot of help out there for those that wish to normalize their weight and treat diabetes naturally. Here are some things you can start by doing on your own which are easy to do and don't cost an arm and a leg.

Start by following these simple guidelines:

1. Cut out or severely limit sugar and grains in your diet. Determining your body metabolic type is also important since you need to know whether you burn carbs or proteins best. Therefore, along with reducing grains and sugars, determining your nutritional type will give you some insight into what foods you should use to replace the grains and sugars.

2. Exercise regularly. I'm sorry but you cannot get away from it. Exercise increases the sensitivity of your insulin receptors, causing the insulin already present to work much more effectively, so your body doesn't need to produce as much.

3. Avoid trans fats. The damage that the introduction of margarine has done to our bodies will never be quantified. Thankfully, today we are much more aware of trans fat dangers and many companies are removing it from their products. However these products are all processed and don't need to be in your cupboard in the first place.

4. Get plenty of omega-3 fats. These are available in fish, supplements, Chia or flax seeds. All are easy to find and inexpensive to add to your daily diet.

5. Get a good night's sleep every night and natural adaptogens can really help in this area.

6. Look to EFT for eliminating or dealing with emotional issues that lead to eating the wrong kind of food. EFT is easy to learn and quite effective.

7. Deal with weight issues effectively by cleansing/detoxifying in order to give your body the tools it needs to repair the damage done by toxins you are exposed to in your daily life.

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Holidays and Diabetes

2008-09-30T05:12:00.001-07:00

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it does not mean that you cannot have holidays or that you cannot travel. With the current advances in medical science it is possible to have holidays and even fly to other countries even if you are insulin dependent. Obviously it is always advised that you chat things through with your doctor and to include any advice they may offer, but it is possible to lead a good quality of life with diabetes.

Vacation Planning And Tips

The key thing is planning. Anything is possible from Air Travel to Cruising, from driving to foreign climates to holidaying in your own country. Always plan your excursions so that someone knows when you leave and when you are due to arrive and keep in contact with them if you know you will be late (this is normal courtesy but it also covers you if something unexpected happens). Depending on where you are going, your doctor can advise you of the list of medical supplies you will need while away. The list will probably include things like Insulin doses, diabetic food (always carry snacks and drink in case your sugar levels fluctuate), Insulin pumps (for those who are insulin defendant), and most important of all make sure you wear your medical emergency bracelet (this will alert even those in a different country that you are diabetic should an emergency arise).

If you are staying at an hotel, or cruising it is always best to inform the travel organisers so that they can cater for your diabetes - many vegans would do this too so it is not an unusual request.

With regard to flying and leaving the country, it is important to check with the travel arrangers since they will need to make special arrangements for you. One thing they will need to do is to allow for their metal detectors. It is better for example that they know you have a needle in your arm (if you are insulin dependent) than that you set of an emergency with the detecting system). It is also good for passport control and you will need to seek advice with regard to the best procedures for leaving and entering countries.

Emergency Kit

You will need to get your own version from your doctor but it may well include things like:- Diabetic food and drink, Urine ketone test strips, Glucagon emergency kit, Disposal container for syringes and test strips, Insulin dispensing products (such as vials, pens, preloaded insulin syringes, etc), Lancets, Cotton swabs, Glucometer, Vial of insulin, etc. Basically anything you would normally need in your everyday life plus a few emergency items that you might need.

With planning you can do almost anything. If you are going abroad, it would also be a good idea to learn a few phrases regarding your diabetic needs or at least have them written down in your phrase book. Being diabetic need not mean no holidays or breaks to foreign countries.

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Early Symptoms of Diabetes

2008-09-30T05:12:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is something that many people fear but don't know what to look for as early warning signs. This disease is best treated early and the effects of the disease can be limited and sometimes cured with a change of lifestyle. It is generally best if you notice anything that is not usual, or concerning to you, that you get a check up. There is much that doctors can do nowadays that can bring relief to sufferers. Diabetes is not the "bad news" it used to be in days gone by.

Common Symptoms Of Diabetes

Extreme thirst is one of the unusual symptoms of diabetes. It may be that you are noticing an unexplained thirst that you have noticed has been happening. This sort of thirst will be unusual, not explained by a heat wave or the taking up of a sport or the lack of drinking done in a day. The average person needs about eight large glasses of water a day. If you are in any doubt, then it may be a good idea to check it out with a doctor.

Another common symptom is dry, itchy skin. This symptom is not often associated with diabetes, but if it is unusual or has started to develop then again it is worth checking.

Treatment for Diabetes

There is much that can be done to treat this disease, both through medication and also through lifestyle changes. If your doctor confirms diabetes it is important to know that it is not the doom and gloom it used to be.

Firstly your doctor will want to check your weight, and discuss your diet and general lifestyle. The answers to these initial questions, will help to determine the treatment that he will advise.

If you are overweight then part of the treatment will focus on reducing your excess weight, Similarly if you do not exercise he will probably advise taking up a sport or active pastime, or even simply increasing your walking.

Another area he will look at is your diet. He may well arrange for you to see a specialist dietician as a well balanced diet will help to keep your glucose levels at a more constant level and avoid the highs and lows that you may have been experiencing. If you need medication, then the diet will be planned with that fact in mind as well as the move to increase your exercise levels.

Diabetes is a difficult condition to deal with but it is not impossible. Working with your doctor and his medical staff can help you to deal with this condition. Many people with Type II diabetes even find they can reduce their medication and if caught early enough, some even find the change of lifestyle such that their diabetes virtually goes away and they are no longer in the medical zone of diabetes.

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Diabetes on the upswing

2008-09-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

Percent of people age 65 or older with diabetes
by race in the United States

1984-1984 2001-2004

White 17% 24%
Black 27% 28%
Mexican American 30% 35%

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS

Note: Table made from bar graph.

Diabetes

2008-09-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a chronic disorder characterized by either an absolute or relative absence of insulin. Insulin is secreted primarily by the beta cells located in the anterior head, body, and tail of the pancreas. Type 1 and type 2 are the primary categories of diabetes, but other types do exist (gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, and diabetes related to other conditions). Early detection and treatment of pre-diabetes and diabetes are essential to prevent the serious complications associated with this disease. The focus of this discussion is type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes represents an absolute lack of insulin caused by a decrease in beta cell mass. It affects about 10% of the diabetic population and usually occurs before the age of 30. It is typically detected by an abrupt onset of symptoms of hyperglycemia. The affected patient is often prone to ketoacidosis, which occurs when accumulation of ketones (byproducts of fat metabolism) leads to acidosis, causing diuresis, dehydration, loss of electrolytes, and eventually renal failure, coma, and death.

Type 2 diabetes is related to insulin resistance and a defect in insulin secretion. Sustained hyperglycemia is diagnostic of type 2 diabetes and occurs over a long period of time. Symptoms usually occur after the age of 30 but can occur at any age. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are primary factors of occurrence. Type 2 diabetes usually is not prone to ketoacidosis because some insulin is still produced. Treatment is centered on diet, exercise, weight loss, oral medications, and/or insulin as indicated, with careful monitoring of blood glucose levels by the patient and physician.

Patient self-monitoring involves glucose testing four times per day for type 1 diabetes and as indicated for glucose control in type 2 diabetes. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels are used to determine long-term (about 3 months) glucose control. HbA1c should be maintained at < 7%. Monitoring is aimed at preventing chronic complications, including eye disorders, kidney disease, peripheral neuropathies, and cardiovascular disease.

Treatment protocols involve a combination of diet, exercise, and medications to maintain blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible. Nutrition is no longer based on American Diabetes Association diets but is individualized to patient need and associated with exercise and lifestyle. When diet and exercise do not provide adequate control of blood glucose, medications may be added to the treatment plan. Medications can be oral agents, insulin, or a combination of both for type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes will always require insulin.

For further information on diabetes, review Chapter 22 in the Core Curriculum for Medical-Surgical Nursing (3rd edition), then answer the following questions.

1. The nurse is teaching a patient with a new diagnosis of diabetes mellitus about disease management. Among the "survival skills" that the nurse should identify is:

a. Weight loss.

b. Eliminating sugar from the diet.

c. Self-monitoring of blood glucose.

d. Limited physical activity.

2. Which of the following is characteristic of type 2 diabetes?

a. Absolute lack of circulating insulin

b. Decreased mobilization of glucose by the liver

c. Resistance to insulin by cell receptors

d. Sustained hyperglycemia in both fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels

3. Which of the following is used to measure chronic glucose control?

a. Microalbuminuria

b. HbA1c

c. Fasting plasma glucose

d. Serum ketones

4. To decrease the risk for developing diabetic neuropathy, the nurse will encourage the patient to:

a. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily.

b. Eliminate alcohol.

c. Decrease consumption of red meat.

d. Stop smoking.

1. c--Self-monitoring of blood glucose is the foundation of successful disease management for the patient with diabetes mellitus.

2. d--Insulin resistance is a cause of sustained hyperglycemia in fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels.

3. b--HbA1c provides a picture of glucose control over a period of approximately 3 months.

4. d--Risk factors for the development of diabetic neuropathies include hypertension, smoking, and chronic hyperglycemia.

Diabetes

2008-09-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

What the clinical trials found: A phase III study suggested that exenatide LAR may offer improved blood glucose control over the currently marketed formulation, Byetta.

Adis R&D Insights Rating & Comment: 70. Exenatide LAR is expected to replace the existing, immediate-release formulation of exenatide (Byetta), also developed by Amylin and Lilly. Byetta requires twice daily subcutaneous administration, so a once-weekly formulation would be a more convenient option. An NDA for exenatide LAR is expected to be submitted in 2009, and if approved, the agent is predicted to supersede Byetta as an adjunctive therapy in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus.

What the analysts had to say:

* In the GLP-1 class, interest will remain high, given the need for better post-prandial control, beta cell preservation and weight control. But competitors will have to demonstrate clear and meaningful benefits for acceptance by physicians, payers and patients.

-David Jacobson, SVP, GfK Market Measures

* We believe exenatide LAR has now demonstrated the most convincing clinical profile of all GLP-ls to date. Efficacy appears to be best in class. We forecast $2 billion in peak sales.

-ING Wholesale Banking's Tun Race

Liraglutide Novo Nordisk

Indication: Type-2 diabetes mellitus (Ph.III)

What the clinical trials found: Phase III clinical trials found oncedaily liraglutide + glimepiride gave superior glycemic control compared with a rosiglitazone-glimepiride combination and with glimepiride monotherapy. The triple combination of glimepiride, metformin and liraglutide was also superior to glimepiride, metformin and insulin glargine. Notably, three trials demonstrated that liraglutide promoted weight loss and had a good safety profile with no serious adverse events reported.

Adis R&D Insights Rating & Comment: 72. Liraglutide may face direct competition from exenatide LAR. A direct, head-to-head study of liraglutide vs. exenatide, initiated this year, may show which is the more effective agent in maintaining glycemic control and hence provide a better therapeutic option for patients with type 2 diabetes.

What the analysts had to say:

* Long-term we have reduced our 2013 sales for liraglutide form $1.3 billion to $1.1 billion reflecting the potential for exenatide LAR to dominate the market. If liraglutide reaches the market, Novo Nordisk is likely to have significant competition to its only major new compound.

-ING Wholesale Banking's Tun Race

Saxagliptin Bristol-Myers Squibb/AstraZeneca/Otsuka

Indication: Type-2 diabetes mellitus (Ph.III)

What the clinical trials found: Preliminary six-month data from a phase III study in patients with type 2 diabetes, which was poorly controlled with metformin, showed that add-on, once daily saxagliptin was safe and well tolerated. The compound significantly improved glycemic control compared with metformin alone. Saxagliptin is currently in phase III multi-center clinical trials worldwide. BMS and AZ plan to file an NDA with the FDA in the first-half of 2008. Studies are assessing the compounds as monotherapy, as an adjunct to diet and exercise, and as an add-on therapy in combination with metformin, sulfonylurea or thaizolizinediones.

Adis R&D Insights Rating & Comment: 74. It remains to be seen whether saxagliptin will have a successful run in the diabetes market. Its future depends on the results from pending clinical trials and its ability to outperform other gliptins already on the market.

What the analysts had to say:

* Saxagliptin is emerging as a serious competitor to Merck's Januvia.

-Rodman & Renshaw 's Michael King

* Saxagliptin could add $750 million to peak US sales by 2017.

-Lehman Brothers PharmaPipelines estimates,

cited by Adis R&D Insight

OTHER KEY PRODUCTS IN THE DIABETES PIPELINE

AJD 101 Ajinomoto/Sankyo

Diabetes (Ph.I)

Insulin inhalation Alkermes/Eli Lilly

Diabetes (Ph.III)

DiaPep277 Andromeda

Type 1 diabetes (Ph.III), Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (Ph.II)

AZD AstraZeneca

Diabetes (Ph.I)

AZD 2207 AstraZeneca

Diabetes (Ph.I)

BAY 737977 Bayer

Diabetes (Ph.I)

Insulin inhalation Baxter

Diabetes (Ph.I)

Insulin inhalation Coremed

Diabetes (Ph.I)

Insulin oral Coremed

Diabetes (Ph.I)

Diabetes mellitus vaccine Diamyd Medical

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (Ph. I), Type 1 diabetes (Ph.II)

LABI Flamel/BristoWAyers Squibb

Diabetes (Ph.II)

Metformin XL Flamel

Diabetes (Ph.II)

KRP 101 Kyorin

Diabetes (Ph.II)

MK 0533 Merck

Diabetes (Ph.II)

MK 0893 Merck

Diabetes (Ph.I)

MK 0941 Merck

Diabetes (Ph.I)

MK 3887 Merck

Diabetes (Ph.I)

MP 513 Mitsubishi/Mitsubishi Tanabe

Diabetes (Ph.II)

Aliskiren Novartis Hypertension in diabetes (Ph.III),

Diabetic nephropathies (Ph.II)

Insulin inhalation QDose

Diabetes (Ph.I)

Care for Diabetic Feet

2008-09-26T03:43:00.000-07:00

A diabetic has a host of problems to deal with besides just the blood sugar. The skin and feet are very important to care for, because if they are not, serious complications like gangrene and even amputation can occur. Diabetics can die due to complications from foot problems. It is extremely important to care for the feet.

50% of leg amputations are performed on diabetics. The risk of foot infections is 40 times higher in diabetics. Risk of gangrene is 17 times higher in diabetics. 25% of diabetic hospitalizations are the result of foot problems.

Diabetes causes two types of problems for your feet:

* Neuropathy, which is damage to the nerves in the legs and feet, can cause lack of feeling, so that a sore or cut can go undetected because you do not know it is there. The feet become insensitive to hot and cold, and can be burned or chilled without your knowledge.
* Poor blood flow can cause peripheral vascular disease. Peripheral vascular disease slows down the healing process. Smoking when you have diabetes can make the blood flow problems much worse.

What should one do to prevent problems and remain healthy? Prevention is the key: regular screening for neuropathy and artery problems, monthly pedicures, daily foot examinations, daily use of a foot product to prevent calluses, and moisturize the skin and retain its protective role. How do you do this?

1. Manage your diabetes. Keep all of your medical appointments and do what your professional tells you to do. Have your doctor inspect your feet at each visit.
2. Make sure you monitor your blood sugar and keep it level. Take your medicine as prescribed. Eat the proper diet.
3. Stay active and keep your body in shape. Working out can help accomplish that.
4. Care for your feet daily. Set a time of day to inspect you feet, so that you do this every day. Check them for cuts, blisters, sores, swelling, redness, or sore toenails.
5. Every day, bathe your feet and dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes.
6. Put cream or lotion on your feet every day. This helps to keep the skin hydrated and smooth, so that no cracks develop.
7. Keep your toe nails trimmed straight across and filed. This helps to prevent ingrown nails. Have monthly pedicures.
8. Always wear shoes and socks. Never go barefoot, even at home. This helps to prevent any injury.
9. Ask your doctor if you need special shoes. Most insurance will help with the cost of shoes prescribed by your doctor.
10. Make sure that you have good circulation to your feet. Just putting them up when you sit, wiggling your toes and moving your feet around a few times a day will help this immensely. Get in the habit of not crossing your legs when you sit.
11. Do not smoke. This slows down the circulation.
12. Start today to care for yourself.

Even though diabetes is not easy to live with, taking these precautions can go a long way in helping you to maintain your disease and have healthy feet.

Diabetic Foot Infection Control With Ultraviolet Light

2008-09-26T03:42:00.001-07:00

Diabetic foot infections arising from ulcerations are the largest non-traumatic cause of lower extremity amputations. Many of the infections are acquired by improper care of the ulcer as well as failure to protect the open wound from contaminants. Contributing factors include peripheral neuropathy and vascular disease, rigid pedal deformities, local trauma and pressure, extensive soft tissue loss, multi-system failure, non-compliance and severe infection. For Podiatrists it is a recurring problem.

The recent Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Diabetic Foot Infection Guidelines emphasize the following point:

"Aerobic gram positive cocci (especially Staphylococcus aureus) are the predominant pathogens in diabetic foot infections. Patients who have chronic wounds or who have recently received antibiotic therapy may also be infected with gram negative rods, and those with foot ischemia or gangrene may also have obligate anaerobes."

The guidelines specifically note the dated thinking that all DFIs are mixed infections is not evidence based. There is a difference in microbial flora based on the severity of the infection and the presence of comorbidities. Even in the more complicated infections in which a myriad of other organisms may be isolated, their importance as primary pathogens needing antibiotic coverage is debatable. Many represent colonization only.

MRSA Continues To Be Evolving Problem

While the number and types of true pathogens in the majority of DFIs may be limited to Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, it does not mean that the clinician can rest assured that traditional therapies active against these two organisms will be enough. MRSA as well as VRE are emerging as serious threats to the diabetic patient.

The traditional therapies of systemic antibiotics often compromise the healing of the ulcer itself as well as many of the topical agents that are branded generics of common ingredients such as silver, povidone iodine, and other traditional topicals.

"Wound Healing, Alternatives in Management" by Kloth, McCullouch also point out that many chronic wounds are not chronic in nature but are acute injuries that are consistently reinjured in treatment and appear to be chronic. An example of improper treatment would be the use of sterile gauze as filler yet the gauze is allowed to dry out and the results are the gauze now adheres to the new granulating tissue and each removal destroys the new growth and sets back the healing while exposing newly injured tissue to external contaminants. Eschar develops, which is a wonderful breeding ground for MRSA and other pathogens, because the top cells die from dehydration and the dead tissue becomes the eschar.

In the past five years, there has been a seemingly logarithmic growth in the incidence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a pathogen in the diabetic foot. This organism was once associated only with nosocomial infections but now community-acquired strains of MRSA have become common in DFI cases. While it is outside the scope of this feature to review MRSA in detail, it is important to examine the situation in the diabetic foot.

As recently as 1996, Goldstein reported that 20 percent of the staphylococcal isolates from his diabetic foot population in California were methicillin resistant.4 In 1999, Tentolouris showed 40 percent of the staphylococcal isolates in their diabetic foot clinic in the United Kingdom were methicillin resistant.5 In 2003, the same group published a follow-up study entitled "Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the diabetic foot clinic: A worsening problem."6 Although the absolute percentage of MRSA among their staphylococcal isolates only increased to 42.2 percent, the number of patients that actually presented with MRSA doubled. Fortunately, their study found many of these MRSA isolates could be treated effectively with debridement, topical therapy and isolation.

Unfortunately traditional treatments continue to be used and the population of drug resistant strains of "super germs" continues to develop faster than new antibiotics. This is not necessary.

Ultraviolet C- range ( 254 nm) has consistently shown the ability to not only kill all forms of pathogens, especially bacterial, but no bacteria has ever been capable of mutating or avoiding the lethal effects of UVC. Ultraviolet C range is easy for the patient to self-treat and one of the lamps is FDA approved for dermatological applications such as destroying pathogens on the skin surface thus avoiding new contamination. Total treatment time is less than 90 seconds. Cost once device purchased or rented is only the cost of electricity for a 4 watt bulb for 90 seconds, or less than a penny.

Ultraviolet can be used for not only topical treatment where the bacteria has localized but is also indicated for systemic infections.

Tens and Interferential electrotherapy can be used post Ultraviolet treatment to facilitate faster growth as well as controlling the swelling and increasing blood flow to the foot.

There are many tried and true therapies such as ultraviolet that will stop the necessity of amputation for the patient with a diabetic foot infection or any other foot wound that becomes infected.

Gestational Diabetes Diet Information

2008-09-26T03:42:00.000-07:00

Gestational Diabetes Diet

Gestational diabetes is seen in pregnant women when they develop high blood glucose levels during pregnancyA gestational diabetes diet will provide essential nutrients for both mother and unborn baby without making the baby grow too much.

One concept is that the pressure of the pregnancy itself affects it, but whatever the reason every woman who is detected with it will require to go after a gestational diabetes diet plan.

In those cases wherever gestational diabetes diet and exercise are sufficient to get blood levels back to normal, and day by day medications are prescribed.

Pregnant women with type 1 or type 2 of diabetes meet a higher chance of miscarriage and early birth. A well-considered diet plan plays an enormous role in the life of a pregnant woman.

Gestational diabetes diet is calling for dietary changes which, the pregnant woman may not be used to, however controlling this type of diabetes it is vital.

A gestational diabetes diet, along with additional treatments decreases successfully the problems caused by having abnormally large babies, as women with this problems often do. Gestational diabetes diet needs including a daily chart that keeps track of the quantity of calories eaten.

A pregnancy gestational diabetes diet is uncommon from the best pregnancy diet for women without diabetes and consists of a number of uncommon parts. Most of the women gain from a gestational diabetes diet and exercise, however some may necessitate medication beside everyday life adjustments. To prepare your gestational diabetes diet, seek advice from a dietitian who can advise you a appropriate diet based on your health condition, your height, weight, age, the growing baby needs, in addition to your glucose level intolerance.

The dietitian will ask you to take the place of the sweetened foods the non-natural sweetener in your gestational diabetes diet. A complete gestational diabetes diet plan takes into considerations the physical, psychosocial, and educational requirements.

Your dietitian will assess your nutritional eating and drinking and prepare an appropriate gestational diabetes diet plan with the accurate quantity of protein, fat and carbohydrates for you and your unborn baby.

The goal of a high-quality pregnancy diabetes diet is to make sure with the intention of you do not have to resort to insulin shots until it becomes needed.

Undercooked meat, raw fish such as sushi and underdone eggs should not be eaten whilst pregnant. When you are pregnant, you may be extra vulnerable to the illnesses these foods may hold and your response will be complexes by the pregnancy.

Normal blood glucose examining is essential all through this time, however more essential is the gestational diabetes diet.

Suggestions for eating fruit in a gestational diabetes diet: Consume fruits uncooked or cooked, as fruit juice with no sugar added, canned in their own juice, or dried.

Gestational Diabetes Diet Information

If you have more than one portion at a mealtime, you can choose different types of fruit or have two servings of one fruit.

Milk and yogurt serving sizes in a gestational diabetes diet: You have four to five servings of milk and yogurt every day as fraction of your gestational diabetes diet.

Cakes, cookies, ice creams, candies, soft drinks, pies, commercial fruit yogurt, jams and jelly could be very damaging if you are on a gestational diabetes diet.

Lactose found in milk is processed into glucose fast in the body and several gestational diabetes diet plans limit the quantity of milk. Eating lots of fiber is essential to a gestational diabetes diet. Besides, following a carefully designed gestational diabetes diet plan, the pregnant woman should try to break her daily food eating into a lot of little mealtime to give the pancreas enough time to break the sugar in the blood.

Establishing the right blend between gestational diabetes diet and the right blood sugar level takes time.

A gestational diabetes diet, beside the other insistent actions, Effectively reduced the problems caused by having unusually big babies, as women with these problems often do.

Remembering my efforts of trying to understand and get as many details as possible, and finding answers for my uncertainties directed me into writing and giving out all I know about gestational diabetes. Three years ago, during my pregnancy, I came to know that I had gestational diabetes. However, there are few subtle symptoms, which I did not particularly notice that help to diagnose gestational diabetes in its early stage. The information is written in simple language, easy to read and leads the reader step by step to get knowledge of deterrence, note the symptoms and know what questions to ask your physician.

The Lowdown on Diabetes

2008-09-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder in which blood levels of glucose (a simple sugar) are abnormally high because the body doesn't release or use insulin adequately. The full name of diabetes is Diabetes Mellitus. Doctors use the full name in order to distinguish this disorder from Diabetes Insipidus which is a rare disease. Insulin, a hormone released from the pancreas, is the primary substance responsible for maintaining appropriate blood sugar levels. Insulin allows glucose to be transported into cells so that they can produce energy or store the glucose until it's needed. Diabetes results when the body doesn't produce enough of this insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels.

There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 11.

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (insulin- dependent diabetes) and Type 11 Diabetes Mellitus (non-insulin dependent diabetes.) Type 1: produces little or no insulin, although about 6 percent of the United States population has some form of diabetes. Only about 10 percent of all diabetics have Type 1 of this disease. Most people who have Type 1 diabetes developed the disease before age 30. A person with Type 1 diabetes must regularly inject insulin to survive.

Type 11: the pancreas continues to manufacture insulin, sometime higher than normal levels.

However the body develops resistance to its effects, as a result, a relative insulin deficiency. This type may occur in children and adolescents and usually begins after age 30 and become progressive with age. About 15 percent of people over age 70 have Type 11.

The first symptoms of diabetes are related to the direct effects of high blood sugar levels. These symptoms include: increased flow and abnormal thirst, weight lost, feels excessively hungry, blurred vision, drowsiness, nausea, and decreased endurance during exercise.

Also, people whose diabetes is poorly controlled are more susceptible to infection. Because of the severity of insulin deficiency, people with Type 1 normally lose weight before undergoing treatment; in addition, the symptoms begin abruptly and may progress rapidly to a condition called Diabetic Ketoacidosis. People with Type 11 don't lose weight, and might not have any symptoms for years or decades, when insulin deficiency progresses, symptoms may develop. Increased flow and thirst are mild at first and gradually worsen over weeks or months. Ketoacidosis is rare. If the blood sugar level becomes very high, (exceeding 1,000 mg/dl) usually as the result of some superimposed stress, such as an infection or drugs, the person may develop severe dehydration, drowsiness, seizures, and a condition called Nonketotic Hyperglycemic-Hyperosmolar Coma. This coma is similar to Diabetic Ketoacidosis. There is no cure for diabetes, but it can be successfully managed or controlled with diet, exercise, and medicine.

At Risk For Diabetes?

2008-09-24T22:41:00.001-07:00

There are two types of diabetes, type one and type two. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults and untreated it can lead to nerve damage and amputation, as well as vision problems. In men, it can lead to erectile dysfunction, as well as leading cause of hypertension - adults with diabetes are 50% more likely to develop higher blood pressure. Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas decreases the rate in which insulin is produced and blood glucose levels become too high, or too low. Diet and exercise or treatments of injections or oral tablets of insulin can maintain a normal blood glucose level.

Type-one diabetes includes symptoms such as excessive thirst, weight loss, fatigue and frequent urination and an increase in appetite.

The second type of diabetes, type-two diabetes has some of the same symptoms as type 1 diabetes but also more severe symptoms as skin and bladder infections as well as blurred vision or tingling in the legs, arms and extremities. Type-two diabetes is more common and can occur without any symptoms at all. Type-two diabetes is often referred to as type-two diabetes. Interestingly enough, forty percent of the people with type-two diabetes can change the prognosis of the disease through diet and exercise.

Those over the age of forty-five should have their blood sugar tested every three months. Those under the age of forty five with significant risk factors should have yearly tests as well. A simple visit to your family physician to ask for a lab test for blood glucose levels can yield blood glucose levels. Many lab tests for glucose require fasting for eight hours to receive accurate results. Most often, these tests are included with physical exams, and should be completed at least once per year.

Those at highest risk for diabetes are those who are; overweight, having given birth to a large baby, those with previous abnormal glucose levels or those who are over the age of forty five.

Drug therapies differ between type-one and type-two diabetes. Drug therapies used for type one diabetes patients include; insulin pens and insulin injections. There are four types of insulin injections, short acting, long acting, rapid acting and intermediate acting. Insulin pens are more convenient than traditional syringes and are favored by more patients diagnosed with diabetes than the traditional syringes. Depending on the history of the patient and the reaction that the body has with the insulin, short or long acting insulin will be prescribed by the health care professional.

There are many other treatment options available for those diagnosed with type-two diabetes. These include oral medications, or specific diet and exercise regimens. Alpha glucosidase inhibitors slow the absorption of carbohydrates within the blood stream and the small intestines and assist in lowering the blood sugar. Meglitinide is a new course of medications that encourage the pancreas to produce and secrete insulin, thereby lowering the blood sugar. As an alternative to these chemical medications, oral medications, the more traditional type of type-two diabetes management are most prescribed by doctors in North America.

Top Warning Signs of Diabetes

2008-09-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because most of its signs are not very harmful. Most of the signs of type 1 and 2 diabetes are the same. As in both cases there is an excess amount of sugar in the blood and an insufficient amount of sugar in the cells, where actually it is required.

In type 1 increased level of glucose in the blood is the outcome of the destruction of insulin producing cells. In type 2 diabetes high glucose level occurs when cells of the body become resistant to produce insulin.

In both types the cells are not getting the required amount of glucose and the body tries to inform you for this by giving different signs which has been mentioned here.

Recurrent visits to the Bathroom: One has to urinate more when there is an excessive amount of glucose in the body. If insulin is not effective or is not there then the kidneys are unable to filter the glucose back to blood. They then become over reactive and attempts to extract more water from the blood to dilute the glucose. This is the reason that bladder is fuller and one has to make recurrent visit to the bathroom.

Feeling Thirsty: If somebody has the feeling that he is more thirsty than usual then it can also be the sign of diabetes. The reason is that when kidney are demanding extra water from the blood and he is frequently going to the rest room, he may feel the need to drink more water to substitute the one being expelled.

Weight Loss: This sign is more prevalent in those who have type 1 diabetes than the ones with type 2. As in type 1 pancreas is unable to make insulin due to a viral attack. The body is not getting enough energy from the cells. To fulfill this deficiency the body starts to break down the fat cells and muscle tissues for energy and that results in a rapid weight loss.

Tiredness: It is again due to glucose. Glucose in the food which we take goes into the blood where there should be insulin to help it out. The cells use this glucose to produce energy. But when there is not enough insulin the cells also do not react to it. The glucose is then not entered into the blood. The cells become energy deficient and the diabetic feel run down and tired.

Numbness in Feet, Hands or Legs: This sign appears gradually over time and is called neuropathy. The reason behind this is that the consistent levels of high glucose levels in the blood destroy the nervous system. This destruction can be controlled by having a proper control on blood sugar levels.

The high glucose in the body also results in blurred vision, itchy skin, cuts and infections that take a longer time to heal.

If you notice any of the above sign in yourself or your child, schedule an appointment with the doctor and gather as much information as you can. As only proper knowledge and better understanding of diabetes can help you in fighting the battle against it and even reverse it.

Diabetes - The 6 Points That Will Explain it to You

2008-09-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in which patients present with absolute or relative insulin deficiency. It affects about 6% of western populations and is a major contributing factor for heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and peripheral vascular disease. Diabetes mellitus is also the leading cause of new blindness without a cure.

1. Types of Diabetes
There are four forms of the disease, classified as: types 1 and 2, gestational and other specific types.

a. Type 1 Diabetes
In people with type 1 diabetes the pancreas is not producing insulin, so blood glucose levels are higher than normal. People with this form of diabetes require daily insulin therapy to survive. This form is further split into idiopathic diabetes and immune mediated diabetes.

Type 1 accounts for around 10% to 15% of all people with diabetes. It is one of the most serious and common chronic diseases of childhood, with about half of the people with this form of diabetes developing the disease before age 18. It is also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes.

b. Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is marked by reduced levels of insulin (insulin deficiency) and/or the inability of the body to use insulin properly (insulin resistance). This form of the disease is most common among people aged 40 years and over and accounts for 85% to 90% of all people with diabetes. Most people with type 2 diabetes are obese.

c. Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy in about 3% to 8% of females not previously diagnosed with diabetes. It is a temporary form of diabetes and usually disappears after the baby is born. However, it is a marker of much greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. Screening tests for gestational diabetes are usually performed around the 24th-28th week of pregnancy.

d. Other Specific Diabetes Types
This includes people who have diabetes as a result of a genetic defect, or exposure to certain drugs or chemicals.

2. Causes of Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes is caused by resistance to, or deficient production of, the hormone insulin, which helps glucose move from the blood into the cells.

In type 1 immune mediated diabetes, pancreatic beta cell destruction results in failure to release insulin and ineffective transport of glucose. There is no known cause for idiopathic diabetes.

In type 2 diabetes, the beta cells release insulin but, receptors are insulin resistant and glucose transport is variable and inefficient. Some people may have conditions that can cause diabetes, such as Cushing's syndrome, pancreatitis or liver disease.

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include;

a. Obesity
b. History of Gestational diabetes
c. Lack of physical activity
d. Hypertension
e. Age 45+
f. Ethnic groupings other than anglo-saxon
g. Low HDL cholesterol levels
h. Impaired glucose tolerance
i. Family history

3. Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes
Symptoms of diabetes include; dehydration, unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst, frequent need to urinate, fatigue, lethargy, severe irritation and itching, excessive hunger, blurred vision, skin and urinary infections and vaginitis.

4. Diagnosis
Diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance may be detected on routine blood tests as part of a general health check up or investigation for other symptoms or diseases. Diabetes tests check blood glucose levels. Someone with a random non fasting blood glucose level greater than 200mg/dl accompanied by other symptoms, or someone with a fasting blood glucose level greater than 126mg/dl can be diagnosed with diabetes.

Because symptoms can be mild, diabetes is often detected when a person suffers a problem that is caused by diabetes, such as a heart attack, stroke, neuropathy, poor wound healing or a foot ulcer, certain eye problems, certain fungal infections, or delivering a baby with macrosomia or hypoglycemia.

5. Diabetes Treatment
Effective treatment endeavors to normalize blood glucose and reduce complications using insulin replacement, diet and exercise. For those with very mild diabetes, diet plus weight loss plus exercise may be enough to keep blood glucose within reasonable levels.
Dietary changes should focus on the ideas of weight loss and blood sugar regulation by keeping the blood sugar levels relatively stable throughout the day, avoiding big peaks or troughs.

The principal treatment of type 1 diabetes, even from its earliest stages, is replacement of insulin combined with careful monitoring of blood glucose levels using blood testing monitors.

Type 2 diabetes may require oral anti-diabetic drugs to stimulate the body's insulin production and increase insulin sensitivity. Various forms of natural supplements for diabetes treatment have also been postulated as effective.

People with unstable diabetes, or those requiring many injections a day, may benefit from an insulin pump which is worn on the body and delivers a continuous infusion of insulin via a needle implanted into the body.

Gestational diabetes is fully treatable but requires careful medical supervision throughout the pregnancy. Even though it may be transient, untreated gestational diabetes can damage the health of the fetus or the mother.

Treatment for all forms of diabetes need not significantly impair normal activities, if sufficient patient training, awareness, appropriate care, discipline in testing and dosing of insulin is taken

6. Complications
Diabetes mellitus is the most common cause of adult kidney failure worldwide in the developed world. If undetected or poorly controlled, diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, lower limb amputation, heart attack, stroke and impotence.

At Risk For Diabetes?

2008-09-22T22:50:00.001-07:00

Diet With Diabetes Safely and Avoid Eating Disorders

2008-09-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the main reason people suffer from diabetes is because of eating disorders? It is possible to diet with diabetes and finally get your body to produce what it needs in order to get rid of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common one out there. People suffering from type 2 diabetes can diet with diabetes to reduce risks such as weight gain, heart attacks or even amputations.

Diabetes is not a life long decease. What diabetes really is are signals or symptoms that your pancreas is not functioning correctly. A pancreas that is saturated with acids or salts will not produce the correct amount of insulin, letting sugar levels get unbearable for our bodies. By following a healthy low carb diet you could stabilize the functions of your pancreas and at the same time lowering your sugar level and stabilizing insulin production.

Get rid of your diabetes. Diet with diabetes and you will see a great change in your health. Be careful though, there are only a handful of low carb diets specially made for people suffering from diabetes. Finally, you can undo your diabetes and live a healthier life.

Did you know there are millions of people around the world suffering from diabetes? And the saddest thing is that the majority of them have set their mind to live with diabetes for the rest of their lives. This is no your case. You can diet with diabetes and get rid of it by following a well balanced diet.

To diet with diabetes has been categorized as a great way to actually getting rid of it and live a healthier life. But not all diet programs out there are good to diet with diabetes. Every person is different and have different issues when dealing with diabetes, but a well balanced diet will do the work of lowering your sugar levels, cleaning your pancreas and making it to produce the right amount of insulin. You can finally say no to insulin shots and avoid hurtful bruises all over your body. Are you tired of so many medications? A correct diet with diabetes will help you stabilize your body, lose weight, get rid of diabetes and finally live the healthy life you deserve.

Top Warning Signs of Diabetes

2008-09-20T02:55:00.000-07:00

Giving First Aid to a Diabetic

2008-09-20T02:54:00.000-07:00

What to do when you encounter a diabetic in trouble

Occasionally a First-Aider or person with no experience of First-Aid may encounter another person on the street suffering from the effects of either Hyperglycaemia or Hypoglycaemia. The symptoms suffered during a diabetic emergency.

As a person who wants to help in this situation, it is important to have a little basic knowledge of a diabetic's condition.

Hyperglycaemia is the result of high blood sugar. The symptoms are rapid breathing, vomiting, drowsiness, abdominal pain, sweet-smelling breath, frequent urination and in extreme cases, unconsciousness.

1. Give the person a drink - without sugar - for hydration purposes.
2. Call emergency services and stay with them.
3. Check their vital signs every ten minutes. Pulse rate, response level (talk to them and ask them simple questions) and check their rate of breathing.

Hypoglycaemia is the result of low blood sugar. Symptoms are often first observed as shaking or muscle spasms, disorientation, pale, clammy skin and sometimes aggressive behaviour.

Often, in both cases the person may be able to tell you what they need. They are the one with the experience. They live with it everyday.

1. Give the person something sweet to eat or drink e.g. boiled sweet or chocolate. Fruit juice or even a fizzy drink (soda) is good enough to help raise the blood sugar. Often, when the person drinks or eats something sweet, improvement can be observed within a minute or two.

2. If symptoms persist, call emergency services and stay with them. Talk to them and check their vital signs every ten minutes. Breathing, is it still too rapid? Pulse, is it slowing or still pounding away?

3. Check their level of awareness. Do they appear conscious of their surroundings, can they respond to your simple questions without confusion?

Remember, if you encounter somebody who needs first aid and you know you can help, then always do it with absolute confidence. Be firm with bystanders. While you attend to the patient firmly ask another responsible bystander to call an ambulance - make sure that they actually do this.

Where to Find Useful Diabetes Information to Control the Disease

2008-09-20T02:53:00.000-07:00

Diabetes Mellitus is a disease that is least understood by the common masses. There are also a whole lot of fabricated tales about it, which makes things even more confusing. In this article, we give you detailed information on all aspects of diabetes, so that you come to understand it far better.

How is diabetes caused?

Diabetes is actually a metabolic disorder wherein the body feels an acute lack of the energy-producing hormone, insulin. Insulin, which is produced by cells in the pancreas, break down the food we eat and convert it into energy, which helps us carry on our daily activities.

Sometimes, this insulin is either deficient due to some autoimmune disorder in the body or because of the body's own capacity to absorb the amount present in it. Either way, the body fails to generate the energy automatically and slowly starts breaking under the strain of it all.

Here are some things to note about diabetes and what it is:

* Firstly, most of us tend to think that diabetes is caused by a wrong lifestyle and / or eating habits. It is important to understand that the above does not directly cause this disorder, though they could be contributing factors for the same. So this is not exactly related to diet or your daily habits.

Hyperglycemia or the presence of excess sugar in the body is the prime indicator of diabetes, but this need not necessarily be caused by sugar intake. In fact, it could well be your excess fat intake that could be the cause of your diabetes.

* People often tend to buckle under the false impression that one has to completely cut off sugar if one suffers from diabetes. The fact, though, is that one should have a moderate amount of sugar, so as to include all food varieties in one's meal. Discuss with your doctor as to how much sugar is ideal for you.

* Eating fruits is not necessarily counter-effective to your diabetes medication. While there are certain fruits such as mangoes, grapes and avocados that are totally loaded with calories and carbohydrates, there are yet others that are quite harmless and actually bestow great benefits on the body. Apples and citrus fruits are best for you if you are suffering from diabetes.

* As concerns vegetables, green leafy vegetables are the best for you, as they are a rich source of Vitamin B and Vitamin C, which naturally contain calorie-reducing properties. Potatoes and corn are best avoided, though.

* Another common concern is that one cannot have carbohydrates in one's diet. They supply tremendous energy to the body. It is not recommended to avoid them altogether from your diet. Ask your doctor to prescribe the ideal diet for you - one in which you can also include carbohydrates.

* Taking Aspirin is considered harmful for diabetics. But a recent body of research claims that this is actually good in moderation, as Aspirin prevents thickening of the arteries, hence reducing chances of heart attacks to that extent. But this medicine also has many undesirable side effects, so it is most advisable to have a word with your physician before consuming the same.

We hope the diabetes information we provided you here helped educate you better on the disorder. Take care of yourself, keep under control and you will be able to live a full life in spite of diabetes!

All You Should Know About Diabetes Care

2008-09-18T00:57:00.001-07:00

Diabetes, though a very common condition the world over today, is often a lesser understood disease, shrouded by many myths and fears. The very name, 'diabetes', instills an untold fear in most people's minds. But the fact is, that it is can be brought under control easily and maintained that way, provided one takes adequate care. So what dies diabetes care involve and what it your own role in it, as a diabetic?

The most important factor - YOU!

First and foremost, you should understand that YOU AND ONLY YOU are responsible for regulating your disorder. The kind of lifestyle you lead, your food habits, your mental attitude and how strict you are with your treatment, all these go into making your care more effective. The more positive your outlook, the lesser trouble the disorder will give you!

Team of professionals

There are many General Physicians (GPs) who are very competent in handling your treatment by themselves. But there might be times when you may need a team of healthcare professionals to back you. This team will conduct a thorough checkup and then advice you on further course of action.

1. The Primary Team

If you are new to diabetes, the best place is a local clinic specializing in diabetes. Juvenile diabetics, on the other hand, are taken care of by hospital-based teams.

The supporting team will comprise the following:

* The Practice Nurse is one who has completed extra training and performs a regular routine check on you.

* A District Nurse visits people in the mornings, performs a test and also gives a shot of insulin if necessary.

* A Health Visitor is more or less like the Practice Nurse, but visits you in your own home.

* The Dietitian helps you regulate your diet and weight in accordance with your disease.

* A Chiropodist does a regular foot check, as it is a very vital indication to diabetes.

* An Optometrist performs an annual check on your eyes, so as to rule out a chance of disorder in the eyes.

* The Pharmacist can advice you on the right medication to be taken for your disorder. Of course, you should ideally rely on the doctor's advice.

2. Diabetes hospital teams

A hospital team specializing in diabetes will house the following:

* Diabetes Specialist Nurses give you all the required information you may have about your disorder - how to adjust your dosage, what kind of syringe you can use, how you can inject yourself and so on. These highly experienced professionals work with the primary team and so, will be able to give you the right advice on your condition.

* Consultants look through the patient's history, performs checkups and also advice the GP about the treatment, changes if required and so on.

* Ophthalmologists in hospitals use state-of-the-art instruments, so they can immediately catch an eye disorder before it has a chance to create serious future problems for you!

Diabetes care has advanced by leaps and bounds today. Do take advantage of that and keep a close watch on yourself through the course of your treatment. That is the way to lead a fuller, richer life, in spite of diabetes!

Common FAQs on Diabetes Diagnosis - Its Time to Change Your Lifestyle Habits

2008-09-18T00:57:00.000-07:00

Diabetes, in spite of being such a common disease, is still not understood properly. Most of us do not know the exact dimensions the disorder can take, if it goes out of control. Now we discuss certain FAQs on diabetes and its diagnosis.

What is Diabetes Mellitus?

Diabetes is a disorder wherein the sugar levels shoot up to an abnormal high. People suffering from this disease have an inability to convert the food they consume into energy. Usually, the food we take in is automatically broken down into glucose, which is supplied to all the cells of the body. This is what gives us the stamina to carry on actively until the next meal. Some cells in the pancreas convert this glucose into a hormone called insulin.

People can develop diabetes either because the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin or because the body cannot absorb it to its full extent. This, if not caught in time, can cause severe health problems later.

What is Type 1 Diabetes?

This type of diabetes, also referred to as juvenile diabetes, shows up in children, teenagers or those below their thirties. This is an autoimmune disorder, where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin.

How about Type 2 Diabetes?

This form of diabetes surfaces during adulthood, mostly during middle age. Here, the insulin produced is not completely absorbed and used by the body. This causes diabetes to emerge.

Why do some pregnant women get diabetic?

This type of diabetes is referred to as gestational diabetes and develops somewhere in the second and third trimesters. Most of the time, this disappears on its own after childbirth, but it may resurface at a later point in time.

What is pre-diabetes?

This is a kind of 'wake-up call' for diabetes, so to speak! Here, the sugar levels are not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. However, such people have a good chance of developing the disease within the next decade or so, if they is not extremely careful with their diet, weight, exercise and lifestyle habits.

How is pre-diabetes and diabetes diagnosed?

There are many tests that are performed to ascertain that aspect. They are as follows:

1. A fasting plasma blood sugar test can be taken, after some 8 hours have gone by without meals. 100-125mg/dL indicated pre-diabetes, whereas 126 and above indicates diabetes.

2. An oral glucose tolerance test is performed at fasting and 2 hours after having a glucose-containing beverage. 140-199mg/dL indicate pre-diabetes and 200 and above show diabetes.

3. A random plasma glucose test can be performed at any time of the day, irrespective of whether or not you have had your meals. While all the other above-mentioned tests can diagnose both pre-diabetes and diabetes, this can be used only to diagnose diabetes, not pre-diabetes. Random blood sugar tests are done only on the basis of diabetes symptoms. If the blood sugar levels is 200mg/dL or more, diabetes is confirmed.

4. Gestational diabetes is diagnosed if the fasting sugar is 95 or higher and sugar registers a count of 180 or higher at 1 hour, 155 or higher at 2 hours and 140 or higher at 3 hours.

The above is the standard method of diabetes diagnosis. To make extra sure of the accuracy of the results, you can also repeat the first two tests on a different day.

Is There a Permanent Cure For Diabetes? Controlling and Handling the Disease

2008-09-18T00:55:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is one of the most insidious disorders that has now been taking gigantic proportions and is affecting more and more people across the globe. What makes this disease so difficult to handle is that mild, borderline diabetes might sometimes go totally unnoticed, as the patient reveals no symptoms whatsoever, sometimes, over a period of many years. Finally when it does show up, it gets most difficult to treat and cure. Now the question here is, "Is there something such as a permanent cure for diabetes"?

Conducting a test

Once you cross your mid-40s, it is advisable to get a thorough medical checkup done on yourself, especially the diabetes test - all the more so if you have a family history of the same. A test for diabetes reveals whether or not you are suffering from the disease. Drink a glass of glucose water, wait for a couple of hours and then get a fasting blood glucose test done. This test should ideally be repeated every year. In case your blood glucose levels are found to be 200 mg/dL or higher, you would be diagnosed as a diabetic.

Is there a cure for the disorder?

The answer, sadly, is no. Diabetes is not a disorder that can be cured completely. However, the good news is that it can be brought well under control and kept that way for life! Many diabetics have been living perfectly active, healthy lives. So can you, if you strictly follow your physician's instructions.

The key to lead a good life in spite of living with the disorder is to control your blood sugar levels. This should be between the range of 90-130 mg/dL at fasting and lesser than 180 mg/dL a couple of hours after meals.

The honeymoon phase

In some cases, especially in those diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, patients do not need any medication or insulin shots to control their blood sugar levels for long periods of time, sometimes lasting as long as six months. This is called the 'honeymoon phase'. A word of caution - you should not consider yourself cured of the disorder. This is merely a phase. So continue with your checkups and be aware that it can definitely resurface anytime at all.

Controlling diabetes

Many people - almost 75% - with uncontrolled diabetes fall prey to cardiovascular disease, while as many as 30% suffer from acute myocardial infarction. Diabetes largely targets the heart's functioning. This disorder can double the risk of heart attack in men and triple it in the case of women. It is also responsible for causing major heart vessel blocks and thickening of the arteries. Elderly diabetics may suffer silent heart attacks, which can cause sudden death.

A diabetic can lead a perfectly normal life if he learns the right ways to handle the disease, thereby controlling his blood glucose, blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels. The key here is to eat right, exercise moderately everyday. It is also most advisable to completely give up smoking and drinking, especially in the case of overweight diabetics. Even if these measures do not end up being a cure for diabetes, they can go a long way in helping you enjoy your life to the fullest!

Natural Diabetes Control - Is it Possible to Control Diabetes Using A Natural Herbal Supplement?

2008-09-15T05:06:00.001-07:00

Many people with diabetes are looking for effective methods of natural diabetes control. Diabetes is a difficult disease to manage, even with medication. Prescription medications don't always work, and they often have unpleasant side effects that make it difficult to take them for the long-term. However, without treatment, diabetes can be a life-threatening condition. That's why so many patients become dependent on prescription medications for life.

However, there are several effective ways to control diabetes naturally. Herbal treatments are among the most popular of these methods. Natural treatments typically have no side effects and can be just as effective as prescription medications at controlling the symptoms of this disease. In some cases, natural remedies have corrected the cause of the disease in certain people, bringing lasting relief without further treatment.

One of the most well-known herbal treatments for diabetes is ginseng. North American ginseng, in particular, is renowned for its ability to control blood sugar levels. Cinnamon is also an effective herbal treatment. Clinical studies have shown that between one and six grams of cinnamon a day is effective in controlling fasting blood glucose levels. Yet another herb that is useful in controlling blood glucose levels is aloe vera, when it's used in gel form.

An herbal supplement that's gaining a lot of attention in the natural treatment of diabetes is a product called Glycogone. Glycogone is made from the extract of the Opuntia cactus, and has been proven to work fast at reducing blood sugar and improving insulin resistance. In fact, most studies have shown that it typically works within 14 days. The cactus extract is full of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that help control appetite and increase energy, which is a further benefit for diabetes patients, as many of them need to manage their weight better in order to improve their symptoms.

What Exactly is Type 1 Diabetes?

2008-09-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

Basically there are two types of diabetes. Typically Type 2 diabetes begins to show itself through adulthood and Type 1 diabetes can happen even during childhood. An additional type of diabetes, which is closely associated to type 2 diabetes, is known as gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes, it can happen when an individuals very own immune system ends up attacking itself. This occurs when the body's own immune system actually begins to attack and destroy the cells known as beta that an individuals body creates in the pancreas.

Diabetes Overview

The cause of diabetes is when an instability happens in the hormone insulin in an individuals body. For persons who are healthy, the pancreas secretes insulin in the right amounts for the type of food that the person consumes. The primary goal of this infusion of insulin is to assist in putting specific nutrients, particularly glucose, into the cells in the body. The persons system ends up using these nutrients as fuel for everyday tasks in a healthy person.

At this point, the quantity of glucose contained within the blood is decreased since the cells are loaded with nutrients. When this happens, an individuals beta cells will be given notice in the persons pancreas that they have to lessen the quantity of secreted insulin.

The helps keep an individual away from becoming hypoglycemia, which is also referred to as low blood sugar. Nevertheless, within a an individuals body that has type 1 diabetes these beta cells are destroyed. When this event happens, it throws an individuals body into complete disarray. When a person has type 2 or also referred to gestational diabetes, however, the reasons behind it are different.

Type 1 Diabetes

Typically individuals that are impaired with type 1 diabetes find that they have this disease prior to age 20, although it can happen at any age. Even though this type of disease is relatively not as common as some other types of diseases, it does happen to a great amount of individuals. Sadly, no one actually knows the cause of type 1 diabetes, or not the exact cause.

Nevertheless, it is clear that, at a minimum, a basic tendency toward this disease is genetics. It should be noted that there can be environmental causes at work here that make an individual more apt to this disease. It appears to happen when something in the environment, possibly a virus, invokes an individuals immune system to attack their own pancreas to the point where the individual is unable to create insulin in a correct way. This appears to confuse a persons body and is not curable when it ends up as type 1 diabetes.

The signs and symptoms for all the different types of diabetes can have numerous different things. A variety of them are hardly noticeable while others might make living life that is normal very challenging. Some of these signs and symptoms tend to incorporate an increased level of thirst, a higher level of appetite even after a meal is eaten, abdominal pain. unexplained weight loss, nausea, blurred vision, exhaustion, and excessive urination.

What's the Cause of Diabetes Type 2?

2008-09-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

If you or a family member has been diagnosed with diabetes Type 2, you probably have many questions. First of all, what's the cause of diabetes Type 2?

Diabetes Type 2 is the insulin-dependent form of the disorder. It is also known as adult onset diabetes because it is most often newly diagnosed in people over the age of 40. The pancreas, like many other parts of the body, works less well as it gets older.

In this form of diabetes mellitus, the pancreas somehow does not produce enough insulin. This could be caused by an injury to the pancreas. It also be may the result of Cushing's syndrome or other hormonal disorders.

There is evidence that insulin-independent diabetes is genetic. If a family member is diabetic, there is a strong chance you will also develop the disorder as you age. This may be also be related to lifestyles. An overweight person will pass on his or her eating habits to other members of the household.

Most often, however, the cause of diabetes Type II is overweight. If you eat too much, your pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to effectively handle the glucose you eat in your food.

Therefore, the best plan to treat your diabetes is to eat properly. Your doctor or dietician will recommend a diet to specifically meet your needs. In general, this diet will range from 800 to 1500 calories per day, depending on your weight and height.

In addition to following the diet, you should also eat small portions of carbohydrates at scheduled intervals each day. You should also avoid sweets and alcohol. Whole grain breads as well as vegetables are recommended.

Even though it may be a difficult adjustment, following your diet is essential. If you do not follow it, you may develop problems with your eyes, nerves, kidneys and feet. Some people have had to get their toes, feet or legs amputated because of poor diabetic control. There is increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

Unlike insulin-dependent (or Type 1) diabetes, diabetes type 2 is relatively easy to control. Often the condition resolves itself once the patient loses enough weight.

No matter the cause of diabetes type II, you can lead a full and normal life if you take care to follow your treatment plan. With today's emphasis on healthy eating, this is easier than ever. Why not have your family follow your diet with you?

Normal Blood Sugar Levels Even As Diabetic

2008-09-12T05:10:00.000-07:00

So the question remain, can diabetic people have normal blood sugar levels?, the answer is yes, because there are several ways that a diabetic person can apply immediately in order to get they blood glucose levels decreased, if you are a diabetic that suffer from high blood sugar levels and you want to know some easy ways to lower your blood sugar, then this article will give some advise around this subject.

Firstly, you need to know that normal blood glucose levels are those between 70 milligrams per deciliter to 100 mg/dl after 8 hours of not eating.

Secondly, in order to get that levels of sugar on your body you have to follow some suggestions, we have listed below some measures that can help you to get decreased levels of glucose in your blood.

1.- Have you ever listened about the diet of Dr. Richard Bernstein, this is highly recommendable because you lower slowly the amount of carbohydrates you consume. Consistent insulin levels may be achieved by having the same amount of carbohydrates each day.

2.- You need to test frequently your blood sugar levels, that way you can determine the right insulin dosage, if you can test your blood sugar levels 5-10 times per day, that would work great.

3.- Avoiding eating between meals, make sure you eat at least 3 nutritious meals per day, this is all about your eating habits, then it is up to you doing it the right way.

Poor management of blood glucose levels usually is the main reason for complications on both types of diabetes, if you keep normal blood glucose levels then you have eliminated risks of those complications.

To sum up, is is not difficult for diabetic people to get normal levels of glucose, this is a totally achievable goal.

Is There Really Something Such As Diabetes Cure?

2008-09-12T05:09:00.001-07:00

Medicine is advancing tremendously today. More and more effective cures are being found for diseases that were at one time considered to be incurable. Researchers are also constantly in the quest for cures for new and hitherto unknown diseases. A lot of products today claim to be excellent cures for diabetes. But is there really something such as a 'diabetes cure'? Can one ever rid oneself permanently of the disorder?

Diabetes is a potentially dangerous disorder that involves the heightened presence of blood sugar. What makes this disease most unpredictable is that it is perfectly capable of remaining unnoticed for years inside its victim.

While there are very specific symptoms related to the disease, there are times when it just does not show up for long periods of time. This can actually prove to be life-threatening, as it would have taken massive proportions before it can be diagnosed and treated.

Type 2 Diabetes sometimes goes undiagnosed, as the patient reports no obvious signs of trouble. But if you are feeling sudden fatigue, tiredness and general irritability, if your wounds heal at a markedly slower pace than usual and if you experience intense itching, you just might need to visit your doctor and get a blood sugar test done as per his instructions.

You are mostly at risk from Diabetes Mellitus after the age of 40-45. You have to be specially careful if you are obese, have a family history of the disorder or already suffer from some variety of an autoimmune disorder like hypothyroid and the like.

Can I expect my diabetes to be cured at any time?

Generally speaking, there is yet no known cure for diabetes. You can, of course, expect to control it perfectly well with medication, exercise and strict control on your diet and weight. There are many people all round the world who are leading perfectly happy, full lives in spite of suffering from diabetes. You have nothing to fear from it as far as you are well under control.

The honeymoon phase in diabetes

There are times when your blood sugar level will regulate itself automatically, without the need for external medication. But do not be fooled by this condition! This phase, very aptly called the 'honeymoon phase', is only temporary and will fade away with time. This phase may last for a maximum period of six months, after which you will most definitely require treatment as always.

Recent research

There is a lot of ongoing research in the field of diabetes today. Some people believe in home cures like consuming bitter gourd juice and the like. There are many Ayurvedic and natural, herbal products that claim to be able to cure one completely of their disease. However, it is always advisable to continue regular allopathic treatment. You could try your alternative medication side-by-side, but do not give up your regular medicine.

Some of the most recent research on diabetes cure includes stem cell therapy. While this might emerge as the best diabetes cure in the future, nothing can be conclusively said about it at this time.

Do's and Don'ts of Your Diabetes Diet?

2008-09-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

Diet plays a main role in control of your diabetes. Most people with diabetes never realize this and so, end up with serious health problems at a later point in their lives. Irrespective of whether you are on oral medication or insulin dependent, diet control in diabetes is a major factor that must be understood and acknowledged. For your benefit, we list here the various do's and don'ts for the ideal diabetes diet.

The most ideal diet for diabetes varies according to height, weight, age, sex, level of activity, and, most importantly, on the extent of the disorder. It is always better that you approach a diabetic specialist, who will prescribe the best diet for you, taking into consideration certain other health problems you might face, such as hypertension, high cholesterol and so on. He will be able to tell you how much carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fiber you can consume on a daily basis.

Though there is nothing like one constant ideal diet for diabetes, there are a few things you can take care of, during your meals:

* Have at least 1.4 oz of fiber-rich foods each day

* Cut down heavy meals and have more number of smaller meals each day

* Reduce fat-rich foods and switch to whole cooked cereals

* Try not to eat carbohydrate-rich foods a couple of hours before bedtime

* Consume a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables every day

Diabetics have to be extra careful about their diet. Do try to include all food categories in your diet, but with control. Also, never make your food bland and tasteless. Your diet will end up boring you too soon!

Here are the detailed do's and don'ts of your diabetic diet:

Do

1. Eat a low-cholesterol oatmeal breakfast.

2. Consume nuts such as walnuts, almonds and pecans - they contain mono unsaturated fats, which are good for you!

3. Eat plenty of salads, pasta, leafy vegetables and stew. Chick peas, beans, dry beans and navy beans contain 'good' cholesterol.

4. Consume skimmed milk, yogurt and cheese.

5. You can do well with egg whites.

6. Chicken, fish and white meat will be good for you.

7. Onions and garlic are great for health. Try and have about 20 grams each day.

8. In order to include fiber, add wheat bran to your wheat flour.

9. Flaxseed, cinnamon and fenugreek are also known to be equally beneficial.

10. Bitter melon and Guar Gum is known to reduce blood sugar considerably.

Don't

1. Eat fried foods. Instead, boil, poach or bake them.

2. Consume red meat and organ meats. These are fat-rich foods!

3. Use too much ketchup, mustard sauce and salad dressing. These are high in both sugar and salt.

4. Eat canned or processed foods.

5. Eat salty foods, such as brine, MSG or soy sauce containing foods.

6. Consume junk food. Go for fresh foods instead.

7. Smoke or drink - these can prove to be dangerous to you!

8. Skip meals and medicines. Make sure you have both on time.

So you see, eating a healthy, balanced diet is most vital to maintaining good health and high spirits in spite of your diabetes. Analyze your lifestyle habits and get into the best diabetes diet for you. Rest assured, you will soon be bursting with energy and joie de vivre!

Reverse Diabetes in Three Easy Steps

2008-09-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a condition in which body is unable to effectively utilize glucose for its energy needs. As a result glucose levels rise in the blood and extra glucose is expelled in the urine. Diabetes was once thought to be irreversible. Today almost every one of us knows someone who has diabetes.Two of the main contributing factor to this rapid increase are sedentary lifestyle and peoples tendency of dining out.

If you have any of the following you are at risk of developing diabetes,family history of diabetes, overweight, low HDL ( less than 35 ) and High LDL (more than 250), high blood pressure. Women who have gestational diabetes or have a history of delivering large babies( weighing 9 pounds or more) are also at a an increased risk of developing diabetes.

How to Reverse Diabetes

The good news is that type 2 diabetes is largely reversible.

Research studies have shown that a change in lifestyle such as:

1. Comprising exercise
2. Proper Diet and
3. Weight loss

can not only reduce this risk by 50 percent , but also significantly delay the onset of diabetes. I have reversed my diabetes and so you can also.Hence by managing weight, eating a proper and healthy diet, most important exercise can help you in reversing/ preventing the diabetes. One should also have blood sugar levels checked at least once a year to detect presence of diabetes at an early stage because diabetes early diagnosed can be easily reversed as compared to diabetes diagnosed lately because of the short and long term complications associated with it.

Acupressure - Natural Cure For Diabetes

2008-09-10T05:15:00.000-07:00

Many people believe that there is no such thing as a natural cure for diabetes. Some people don't even believe that there are so-called "cures" to reduce the symptoms of diabetes. But the truth is, there are many people who have had diabetes and are now cured using natural forms of treatment for diabetes. Some people believe that a cure for diabetes can come from natural foods, when in fact it's treating your mind, body and soul that will eventually cure and treat the condition successfully.

In this article we will take a look at a "secret" natural treatment for diabetes. It is simply one word. Acupressure. It has been widely reported that people that undergo acupressure have been cured or decrease the severity of the condition greatly. So how exactly is this possible? Acupressure stimulates different pressure points in the body and can help improve a person's normal health levels. By tapping into these specific pressure points, you are helping your body release healing mechanisms. These healing mechanisms are normally trapped by stress and fatigue you subject your body to daily.

Ancient Chinese medicine teaches us that by releasing these "pressure points", we are also releasing any negative energy that may be associated with that particular pressure point. This can have a huge healing benefit on the body. While acupressure can provide great results, it is still advisable that you speak to your health care provider before undergoing this type of non-conventional healing program.

If you are seriously considering acupressure as a treatment option, you must ensure that it is performed by a licensed practitioner. Check credentials, references and ensure that this person has the knowledge needed to perform successful acupressure sessions. Discuss your expectations of the treatment and ask if she/ he can share any success stories from previous patients with you. You might even want to ask if he/she has cured diabetes using acupressure.

Before you start acupressure, you should educate yourself as much as you can about this ancient medical practice. Go online and learn what it is all about. You need to be mentally prepared about the treatment, so find out as much information as you can about it. It might help if you knew which pressure points on the body apply to diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes Pregnancy

2008-09-10T05:14:00.001-07:00

Gestational Diabetes Pregnancy is the transition whereby many mothers developed Gestational Diabetes due to gluconeogenesis, lipolysis of fatty acids and hormonal changes which resulted in high glucose level. During pregnancy, the body adjusts both its homeostatic mechanisms and physiological system in order to provide sufficient nutrients for the fetus growth and survival. Some of the changes include the following:

1. Hormonal Changes: (i) Elevated progesterone and oestrogen - suppress menstrual cycle. (ii) Elevated Prolactin - develop mammary gland. (iii) Placental lactogen - fatty acid metabolism, which resulted in the increase of glucose for fetus usage ultimately decreases maternal tissue sensitivity to insulin, resulting in gestational diabetes.

2. Metabolic Changes: (i) Lactogen and Cortisol - The increased in steroid hormones aid in the distribution of nutrients to fetal growth and fat deposition. (ii) Increase glucognoegenesis - making of more glucose by liver. Increase maternal glucose level and resulted in gestational diabetes during gestational pregnancy.

3. Physical Changes: Increase in weight during pregnancy due to increase fats deposition and growth of reproductive organs such as breast development and fetal tissues.

4. Cardiovascular Changes: (i) Aldosterone - Increase plasma volume or blood volume by approximate 40%. (ii) Increase heart rate. (iii) Blood pressure fluctuation.

5. Respiratory Changes: (i) Compression of the diaphragm by the uterus results in decrease functional residual in respiratory. (ii) Progesterone aid in maintaining an increased respiration rate.

In summary, gestational diabetes pregnancy may be seen as a common trait in all pregnant women, but controlling of individual blood glucose level is important in order for both healthy development of mother and fetus.

Blood Sugar Problems - Can You Do Anything About It?

2008-09-10T05:14:00.000-07:00

More and more people today have problems with their blood sugar levels being too high, which often leads to a diagnosis of type II diabetes. This is a chronic disease that can cause many health problems and early death if left untreated. The good news is that by making changes in your diet and lifestyle, many people have significantly lowered their blood sugar and even gotten rid of diabetes.* Type II diabetics do produce insulin, but it is not used properly in the body, and hence the cells don't get enough glucose or the nutrients they need and instead the sugar is left in excess in the bloodstream. In fact, often they produce a lot of insulin, but because it is not being properly utilized, and this high insulin level causes inflammation and other problems in the body.

Common Symptoms

High blood sugar, fatigue and excess urination are the key symptoms of diabetes. You may also have constant hunger with rapid weight gain, dry, itching skin, obesity, high blood pressure and/or accelerated aging.

Common Causes

Many think that type II diabetes may develop at least in part by eating an excess of sugar over a long period of time. This excess of sugar causes your body to produce lots of insulin to try to take care of the overload, and this seems somehow over time to damage the cell receptors that allow the sugar inside. When the cells are insulin-resistant, and they do not accept much sugar -- this sugar is instead seen in excess in the blood. In addition, when you eat white sugar, you are not just eating "empty" calories, but what I call "negative" calories. This is because your body uses up minerals, B vitamins and other nutrients in processing that white sugar which is completely devoid of vitamins and minerals! Too many refined foods, especially too much trans fatty acids, can also be a cause, according to many researchers. In addition, low pH and many vitamin, mineral and other nutritional deficiencies can also contribute to developing this insulin resistance.

Some researchers think that our over exposure to chemicals (especially heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium) in our environment today is contributing to the rising incidence of diabetes. Others think that this disease is linked to infection in the pancreas, which may be viral or parasitic in origin. Like with many diseases, there is probably more than one cause, and the causes may be different in different people.

Vitamins, Minerals and Herbal Remedies

There are some studies that show that many vitamins and minerals can help those with blood sugar problems, but some of those that are the most helpful include antioxidants like vitamins B, C and E*. The antioxidants are important because the excess sugar in the blood seems to cause a lot of free radical damage, and the antioxidant vitamins can help counteract that. Vitamins A, B, C and E are all excellent antioxidants, as well as the mineral selenium and ALA/DHLA. Green tea is also high in antioxidants and has shown great promise in helping with blood sugar problems.* The B Complex vitamins are often low in diabetics, perhaps because the excess sugar causes more B to be used up. Vitamin C can also help reduce complications that come with diabetes, like heart disease and blindness*. It can also help to increase insulin tolerance and normalize pancreatic activity.* Vitamin E can also help prevent heart problems*, which are 2 to 4 times more prevalent in diabetics.

Vitamin A is also crucial to diabetics, and vitamin D is needed for the production of insulin*. These are both found in high vitamin cod liver oil or could be taken separately; just make sure and get one with the natural forms of vitamins A and D -- some cod liver oils take out the natural one, and add back in the synthetic forms! Cod liver oil has been shown to improve glucose response and other markers of diabetes in several studies*. In fact, some have shown it to be more effective than drugs in controlling excessive blood sugar levels! It has also been shown to lower blood pressure caused by stress-elevated levels of cortisol*. The vitamin A in cod liver oil promotes healing and can protect the retina*, both concerns for diabetics. The vitamin D in cod liver oil promotes the absorption of minerals, like magnesium and calcium, and can therefore reduce blood pressure.* Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) and DHLA are vitamin-like enzymes needed for converting glucose into chemical energy, or ATP.

As far as minerals, there is some evidence that chromium can help insulin to work better, and so is very important for those with type II diabetes. Doctors in Italy found that those with type II diabetes that took 450 mg of magnesium per day did a better job of clearing sugar from their bloodstreams and producing more insulin than before they took the magnesium supplements. You can get magnesium from coral calcium in a very absorbable form along with calcium and trace minerals. Vanadium (found in olive oil) is needed to drive the sugar in the blood into the cells, and zinc is a co-factor in the production of insulin. All these minerals are also found in sea vegetables, so if you like them by all means eat them or look for them in an all-natural food based nutritional supplement.

According to Bruce Fife in "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil", coconut oil can help to regulate blood sugar. He cites studies that show that coconut oil helps to improve insulin secretion as well as boost the body's utilization of blood glucose. In addition, those with blood sugar problems often have low energy since the glucose, although in over-abundance in the blood stream, has a hard time getting into the cells. Many have reported having more energy with consumption of virgin coconut oil.

Gymnema is a plant that helps to reduce blood sugar levels by lowering insulin resistance, and Co-Enzyme Q10 also seems to help with both diabetes and the high blood pressure that often accompanies it.*

Recommended Supplements

* Minerals such as magnesium, zinc, chromium and vanadium
* Coral minerals
* Grasses, greens and nutritional yeast for chromium and other nutrients
* High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil, for omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins A and D
* Virgin Coconut Oil
* Vitamin B complex
* Vitamin C complex
* Vitamin E
* ALA and/or DHLA
* Co-Q10
* Gymnena and bitter melon extract
* Anti-infective support

Food Choices

Foods high in chromium include whole grains, liver, onions, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, green beans and many types of fruits. You can also get more chromium in your diet by including liver once per week and nutritional yeast every day. However, organic is really better as organic produce tends to contain more nutrients and fewer pesticides.

While healing, many health professionals say it is generally necessary to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet to around 60 grams per day until your blood sugar normalizes. Refined sugars are a big no-no, but even something like whole grain pasta or brown rice should be limited to no more than 1/3 cup per meal (or 15 grams of carbohydrates). You might be able to have a little more if you are getting regular, vigorous exercise. For more info, see "The Schwartzbein Principle" by Diana Schwartzbein, MD. She also recommends small meals and at least 2 snacks per day, each balanced with protein, fats, and a small amount of carbohydrates (7.5 grams). If you don't reduce carbohydrate and sugar levels in your diet, in our opinion, you will have difficulty healing and you will probably have blood sugar that is too high and causes damage, even if you take supplements.*

We think it is an error to follow a low fat diet if you are diabetic.* Well, we think it's an error to follow a low fat diet even if you are not diabetic. See the Weston A Price Foundation website for more information. But diabetics especially need to have more fat in their diet to supply much needed nutrients as well as to slow down the absorption of carbohydrates into their bloodstream. In fact, unless eaten to excess, fats have not been shown to contribute to diabetes, except trans fatty acids, that cause insulin resistance*. This means you need to stay away from almost all prepared foods today, as most of them contain trans fatty acids.

Your diet should actually be rich in animal foods with lots of fat to provide the vitamin A, vitamin D and zinc you need. Raw butter, cream, whole milk, cheese and eggs from pastured animals provide vitamins A and D, and red meats and shellfish have lots of zinc. Unfiltered extra virgin olive oil is a good source of vanadium.

There is some anecdotal evidence that celery juice, Jerusalem artichokes, onions and spinach can help restore normal blood sugar levels*. Bitter melon can be found in Asian food markets and can also help lower your blood sugar by increasing the body's ability to produce insulin*.

Note: If you make significant changes in your diet, including food and supplement intake, you want to make sure and have your blood sugar levels retested if you are on any diabetes medication, to see if you need to have it decreased.

Other Ideas

Exercise is very important for diabetics. A walk or even some more vigorous type of exercise an hour or two after each meal may be very helpful, as the exercise helps to drive the blood sugar out of the blood into the cells.

Stress also can raise blood sugar levels, and so in addition to all the above including adding more nutrients like vitamins to your diet, it is possible that a change in job or lifestyle may be necessary to keep your blood sugar levels in balance.*

* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Pancreas and Type II Diabetes

2008-09-08T04:25:00.000-07:00

Before discussing the subject of what causes type II diabetes, you might want to know how does the pancreas help to maintain sugar in the blood stream.

The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen behind the stomach. It contains thin tubes joining to form a single opening into the intestine that is located just beyond the stomach. The pancreas produces juices, enzymes and insulin.

1. The enzymes digest fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

2. Pancreatic juices combined with juices from the intestines help to do the job of breaking down protein, carbohydrates and fat therefore it plays an important role in maintaining good health.

3. The pancreas also produces insulin, which is important in regulating the amount of sugar or glucose in the blood.

There are 3 different kinds of type II diabetes:

1. If some of the cells in the pancreas die off the pancreas can't produce enough insulin to regulate sugar in the blood stream, then we have type II diabetes that are caused by deficiency of insulin. Today experts still don't know the causes of how pancreas cells die off, but they suspect that excessive alcohol drinking may be the factor. According to surveys, 70% of patients with type II insulin deficiency diabetes were heavy alcohol users.

2. If the pancreas produces enough insulin, but the receptor sites are clogged up by fat and cholesterol causing insulin not being pick up at the cell from receptor sites, we have type II insulin sufficient diabetes. Most cases of type II insulin sufficient diabetes are caused by uncontrolled diet that are high in saturated fat, smoking and excessive alcohol drinking.

3. If the pancreas also produces enough insulin, but allergic responses to certain foods cause resistance of cells to allow insulin to enter blood stream. In other words, if the cells of the muscle and liver resist to take up glucose from the blood causing high concentration of glucose in the blood stream, we have a case of type II insulin resistance diabetes. The foods creating this problem vary from person to person. Most people with type II insulin resistance diabetes seem to be precipitated by overweight, smoking and excessive alcohol drinking. Type II insulin resistant diabetics should have allergy shots in order to find the exact foods causing insulin resistance reactions. I hope these information will help.

The Key to Proper Gestational Diabetes Nutrition

2008-09-08T04:24:00.002-07:00

Gestational diabetes nutrition is very important when it comes down to treating this disease. Do you know that nearly 4% of women that get pregnant develop a condition known as Gestational diabetes? This statistic comes from the American Diabetes Association. This disease is a unique condition in which the patient has high amounts of blood glucose levels during late pregnancy. The patient previously does not have any signs of diabetes. There are approximately 135,000 of these cases in the United States every year alone.

With the large majority of these cases, women who develop this illness do not develop the condition of Type II diabetes. The condition is caused by the pregnancy. When the condition is developed the mother is unable to use the proper amount of insulin that is being developed during the pregnancy. What this does is causes a resistance to insulin by the mother. As a result, the mother develops a high level of blood glucose. This condition is known as hyperglycemia.

The good news is you can treat gestational diabetes. One way to treat the condition is to use insulin injections. What these injections do is they regulate the blood glucose levels and keeps them at the right amount.

One of the best ways to avoid this condition prior to getting pregnant is to lose excess pounds. Additional weight put on after pregnancy can trigger this condition. This is why proper gestational diabetes nutrition is very important. What you eat also plays a role in proper gestational diabetes nutrition. Another tool that is very useful is called the Glycemic Index. If a woman is thinking of getting pregnant she can use this index to know what foods she should avoid. The Glycemic Index was created to provide guidance for proper gestational diabetes nutrition so diabetics can identify foods with carbohydrates that people suffering from diabetics can eat.

What Are the Best Foods to Eat?

One of the things you want to do is start reading package labels. It is important that you watch the number and the type of nutrients that each food that you eat contains. There are four key ingredients in foods that you need to monitor on a regular and consistent basis if you want to practice proper gestational diabetes nutrition. They are -

a) carbohydrates
b) fat
c) fiber
d) protein.

Protein Foods - What types of foods should you look for that has protein? Some foods that contain protein include different types of meats, poultry, fish, and different types of dairy products (like milk, yogurt, eggs and cheese), You should eat enough protein that is equal to the size of the typical deck of cards. Some of the best sources of protein are low-fat cheese, grilled fish, baked chicken and bean soup.

Carbohydrates Foods - Food that contains carbohydrates are typically consumed too much by most people. They contain a certain type of sugar that is needed but not needed as much as many people eat it. Some of the best types of carbohydrates to eat are found in cereal, toast, baked potatoes and boiled pasta. You should only eat about 40% of carbohydrates.

Fiber Foods - Food that contains fiber contains a specific type of carbohydrate. This carbohydrate provides a great form of gestational diabetes nutrition because of its nutritional attributes. Fiber also decreases constipation, which is vitally important for proper digestion. Some examples of good fiber based foods include hot cereals (oatmeal and oat bran), fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain breads, beans and corn tortillas.

Fat Foods - One type of food that you want to minimize is fat. You do need to have a certain amount of fat in your diet. However, what you don't want to do is have too much fat. Too much fat can be a hindrance to proper gestational diabetes nutrition. Therefore you want to stick to foods that have low-fat or focus on nonfat foods.

Diabetes - What is the Healthy Weight

2008-09-08T04:24:00.001-07:00

Since Type II diabetes are caused by unhealthy diet that are high in saturated fat, most diabetics are overweight and obese, therefore weight loss becomes an important factor with even a few pounds being significant. Losing 20- 30 pounds in 3-4 months will improve health of diabetics remarkably, because the glucose in the bloodstream will drop and the cholesterol and triglycerides will go down.

The improvement of all the above will give diabetics more energy and better health.
But what is the ideal weight for diabetics?

Here is an easy way for diabetics to guess a good target weight by using this simple formula:
weight when you were age 20 X 1.2= target weight

In order to achieve the target diabetics usually follow some kind of diet program that we have discussed in many articles. In this article, we will try to approach this subject differently.

1. Eat less food
* Use a small plate instead of the large dinner plate. This makes it look like you are getting more
foods.
*Eat small servings.
*Eat low calorie soup before meal.
* Eat small portions of fruits or vegetables before you have a meal or snack.

2. Eat less fat
* trim the fat of meat.
*do not eat fried foods.
*Use little oil when you cook.
*Take off the skin of chicken.

3. Eat regular meals
Eat your meals at the same time everyday, do not skip any meals. Skipping meals will only make you hungrier and eat more at the next meal.

4. Try to eat different colors of fruits and vegetables for your meal, because different colors of fruits and vegetables contain many different kinds of vitamins and minerals.

5. Eat fewer sweets and desserts.

6. Exercise:
Exercise everyday will help to increase your physical activity as well as reducing body weight.

Diabetes - Diabetics Symptoms

2008-09-08T04:24:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is caused by insufficient insulin entering the bloodstream to regulate the glucose. It is either caused by cells in the pancreas dying off or receptor sites clogged up by fat and cholesterol. In some case diabetes is also caused by allergy reactions of cells in our body.

If you have the below symptoms, please check with your family doctor. You might have diabetes:

1. Frequent urination:
If you feel that you are needing to urinate more often than usual or a compelling urge to urinate, along with discomfort in your bladder.

2. Excessive thirst:
The urge to drink too much beyond a certain limit may be a symptom of high blood sugar in your bloodstream , and can be an important clue in detecting diabetes.

3. Increase appetite:
If you are experiencing the drive to eat excessively due to emotional and physical causes then it is an emotion disorder that compels you to eat even after you are full. Increased appetite can be an early symptom of diabetes.

4. Unexplained weight loss:
Loss of body weight can occur due to various conditions ranging from eating disorders to severe metabolic conditions including diabetes. Drastic weight loss of more than 5 to 10 pounds when you're not trying to, requires medical attention because it may be a sign of diabetes.

5. Blurry vision:
This is a symptom of great concern. If the blood sugar levels are too high, sugar builds up in your eye, This excess sugar also draws in fluid, changing the shape of the lens and making blurry vision. Certain types of blurry vision can be a medical emergency where delay can lead to loss of sight.

6. Increased fatigue:
Unlike the tiredness experienced by a healthy person, sudden increase of fatigue is a bad thing in people with symptoms of diabetes.

Most Type II diabetes are caused by uncontrolled diet that are high in saturated fat. In the case of the cells of the pancreas dying off, experts believe it is caused by excessive drinking of alcohol.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes, An Omen of Things to Come?

2008-09-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

Signs and symptoms of diabetes sometimes do not appear and because one is feeling fine, shock will set in when the diagnosis is made. This is because often there are no symptoms early in the game. Nowhere is this more true than with type 2 diabetes.

That is why it is good to get tested for diabetes if one is at risk. This way, strategies to turn around the tide can be laid out. There is a chance then to reverse its coming or at least prevent the complications. Otherwise, if one finds out he has diabetes after the complications have arrived, then the fight will be a harder battle to win.

Here are the warning signs and symptoms of diabetes:

* Weight gain which is more common in type 2 diabetes and weight loss which is common in type 1
* Blurry vision or any change in sight.
* Cuts, bruises and infections that are slow to heal
* Tingling or numbness or loss of feelings in hands and feet
* Frequent infections of gums and skin
* Flu-like feeling including extreme fatigue and weakness
* Frequent and constant hunger

The two classic signs and symptoms of diabetes are:

* Constant thirst
* Increased urination

Weight gain or loss - Before diagnosis, some patients with type 1 diabetes lose weight. Why does this happen? Well with all the urination, glucose is lost and with glucose loss, naturally some calories are lost causing weight loss.

Where do they get energy that a person needs? From the fats stored of course. The trouble is there is not enough glucose to generate growth, hence the loss of weight. This is not noticeable among the type 2 diabetics because they are usually overweight.

Blurry vision or any change in eyesight - The extra glucose in the blood extracts the fluid out of the lenses of the eyes. When this happens, the lenses are made thin to the point that they are not able to focus properly. There is nothing to worry because lowering the glucose level will bring back the fluid to the lenses. In time, the vision will return.

There is another thing to watch out with the eyesight. The high blood glucose will result in the formation of the tiny blood vessels in the eyes. This can cause bleeding that may result in flashing lights, dark spots and even blindness.

Since there are no signs and symptoms of diabetes that will give a clue to the eye changes, it is imperative to see an eye specialist regularly. The eye specialist will be able to see the blood vessels in each retina by dilating the pupils. This way, whatever changes are detected some steps can be taken to slow down the progression.

Sores and infections that are frequently occurring and slow to heal - This is another one of those signs and symptoms that will give one an idea that the high blood sugar level is blocking the natural ability of the body to fight infections.

How a Diabetic Can Manage Blood Sugar Levels and Lower Blood Sugar Naturally

2008-09-01T03:27:00.000-07:00

According to the American Diabetes Association, almost 21,000,000 Americans suffer from Diabetes. They also say that 1/3 of people suffering from diabetes have not yet been diagnosed.

Type 2 Diabetes makes up about 90% of patients, also known as Adult-Onset Diabetes. The other 10% of diabetics suffer from Type 1 a.k.a. Juvenile Diabetes.

Here are some things that any diabetic person can do to lower blood sugars naturally and manage their blood sugar levels to make their diabetes easier to manage.

Exercise:

Regular exercise can help lower blood sugars with as little as 15 minutes per day. Find something you like to do. If you're into running, swimming or lifting weights, that's fine, but if you're someone who has never really done much exercise and has a very sedentary job, there are a lot of easy things you can do to get into the habit. Just take time to do something. If you walk around the block after work, or go for a swim, or take the dog to the park, or just walk up and down a set of stairs for 15 minutes, you'll burn all the calories you need to lower blood sugar levels naturally.

Diet:

Depending on what type of diabetes you have, your diet will vary, but a lot of diabetics find it easiest to manage their blood sugar levels if they eat every 2-3 hours. Eat small, balanced meals with healthy snacks in between. I find it best if I eat breakfast at around 7am, snack at 10am, eat lunch around 12pm, have a snack at 3pm then eat dinner around 6pm. I also test my blood sugar level before bed and try to eat some sort of protein to hold me over throughout the night.

Weight Loss / Muscle Building:

Typically people suffering from Type 2 diabetes are also overweight and can reverse the symptoms of diabetes simply by losing some body fat, exercising and eating right. If you are more than 20 pounds over weight, it is a very good idea to lose some extra body fat which will help you to lower blood sugar levels also.

Increasing muscle mass also can help a person suffering from diabetes to lower blood sugars naturally because 1 pound of muscle burns 3-4 times the number of calories (at rest) than a pound of fat does. Burning more calories will make it possible for your body to require less insulin, and can also increase insulin sensitivity.

Natural Cures for Diabetes:

You have to be careful because there are a lot of scams on the Internet claiming to "naturally cure diabetes for only 12 easy payments of $74.95" and similar scams like that. To date, there is no easy cure for diabetes except for living a healthy lifestyle and in some cases, reversing the symptoms of diabetes. There are however natural supplements for diabetes that can greatly reduce the symptoms and lower blood sugars naturally.

As far as controlling blood sugar levels go, you need to remember to eat a balanced diet, exercise at least 5 days per week, and many also find it beneficial to add a natural blood sugar control supplement to their diabetes management program.

It is important to test your blood sugar levels regularly, especially when starting an exercise program or blood sugar control supplements as these healthy things may also cause low blood sugars.

Diabetic Treat Days:

Some people with diabetes have a hard time controlling their blood sugar levels due to over-consumption of sugary foods and sweets. If this is a problem for you, instead of telling yourself that you'll never eat sweets again, schedule 1 day per week where you're allowed to eat sweets or have a "treat day". This will make staying away from sugar the rest of the week a lot easier. Instead of drinking regular coke, drink diet if you need a treat. It's sugar free!

6 Do's of Diabetic Diet

2008-09-01T03:26:00.001-07:00

Despite the huge increase in the number of elder people with diabetes, there are few studies of proper nutrition specific to that age group -most recommendations are based on younger patients. But experts do know that a major concern with respect to nutrition in the elders is malnutrition, which results from inadequate amounts of calories and consuming too much of the wrong foods. The often limited resources of the elders cause them to choose between eating good foods, buying all their medications, and spending money on occasional pleasures like a book or a movie. This isn't a medical problem but rather a social and economic problem, and it's not easily fixed.

The following are some nutritional recommendations that are reasonable and doable for the elder patient with Diabetes:

-- Take a multivitamin and a mineral tablet daily to ensure that you're getting adequate quantities of essential nutrients.

-- Consume a diet in which the carbohydrate content makes up 40 to 50 percent of calories. This recommendation is reasonable based on successful control of blood glucose in other patients.

-- Keep the levels of saturated fats down and mono unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats up for a healthier diet; these fats should represent about 30 percent of your daily calories.

-- Stick to a level of protein that's 15 to 20 percent of daily calories. This amount strikes a balance between too much protein that may hurt the kidneys and too little protein resulting in loss of muscle.

-- Get at least 20 grams of fiber in your daily diet.

-- Avoid a low-sugar diet. It won't improve your glucose control and may cause weight loss because of the lack of taste in the food.

Apart from the above there are many other things like you should keep your teeth in good condition to make eating easier and to avoid infections that complicate Diabetes. Brush, floss, and visit the dentist twice a year.

Diet and Exercise Can Help If You Have Diabetes

2008-09-01T03:26:00.000-07:00

We are seeing more and more that the rise of Obesity is effecting our bodies and making us more likely to have diabetes. Using Diet and Exercise you are able to control the symptoms of diabetes to the point that you do not know you even have the disease. It is important for all people to eat a well balanced diet of fruits and vegetables because it help to keep our bodies regular and in good health. If you combine a good diet with a regular exercise routine then you can really keep you body in a healthy state and reduce the chance that diabetes will have control over your life.

Basically with people who are overweight they can be more likely to develop diabetes and if you learn the rights things to eat and how to properly exercise you can greatly reduce the effects diabetes will have on your body. The most important thing to do if you have diabetes is to keep it under control and diet and exercise are the best ways to accomplish this.

You want to eliminate foods that are high in starch carbs and make sure that you get plenty of natural fruits and vegetables. items that you get form a can will contain high levels of additives and should be avoided.

Finding an exercise routine that you are comfortable with is also a must. You may like to walk and that is a great way to reduce your weight but make sure that you do it at least 3-5 times a week.

Insulin Therapy - Part 1

2008-09-01T03:25:00.000-07:00

In 1921, Dr. Fred Banting discovered insulin and developed the very first medicine to treat diabetes. After that discovery, insulin was injected once, twice or several times a day to control blood sugar. For those people with diabetes who need insulin to survive there are choices: insulin injections or the insulin pump. Diabetes, for people who make little or no insulin, is best controlled with a basal insulin that works nearly peakless throughout the day like Lantus or Levamir in addition to bolus injections that work for a short period of time after each meal like Novolog, Humulog or Apidra . If you are injecting yourself three to four times each day, you may want to consider the insulin pump.

The pump is a remarkable device that provides ultimate control for those people with Type 1 diabetes (who make little or no insulin) or those with Type 2 diabetes who now are taking many injections. With the insulin pump, you have a device that mimics your own pancreas' natural abilities with a steady flow of small amounts of insulin called the "basal". To improve blood sugar readings after a meal and to add flexibility to your food choices the pump allows you to deliver insulin as needed with a "bolus".

Just imagine, you wear a tiny, pager-sized device for 3-4 days that delivers insulin throughout the day like the pancreas would and it replaces 9- 16 injections in that time period. And when you eat meals or snacks, you program the device to deliver more insulin so your blood sugar won't spike. You can even use a "correction bolus" to lower blood sugar at any time of the day you find it to be higher than your target range. There are countless features to these pumps to help you avoid the many diabetes complications.

With the help of your diabetes healthcare team you will quickly learn more specifics. For example, there is an insulin to carbohydrate ratio that your healthcare team will set for you that allows you to bolus the amount of insulin you need for a particular meal or snack. Many people begin with a 1:15 ratio - this means that for every 15 grams of carbohydrates that you consume you need 1 unit of bolus insulin. If you eat 1 slice of bread worth 15 grams of carbohydrates then you would bolus 1 unit of insulin. But, if you decide you feel like 3 pieces of bread, you would bolus 3 units of insulin (1 unit for every 15 grams of carbohydrates eaten). It's easy and keeps you in the best blood sugar control imaginable. Fine tuning of this ratio can be done by your healthcare team by evaluating your blood sugar readings and food records.

Many options of pumps are available: Animas (IR-2020 and the IR-1000), (Accu-Check Spirit), Insulet (Omnipod - the only remote controlled pump without tubing), Medtronic (MiniMed Paradigm 522 and 722), Sooil Development (Diabecare II or the IIS) and Smiths Medical (Cozmo).

If you are taking multiple injections and are interested in achieving the best diabetes control with the most flexibility then you want to consider the insulin pump.

Diabetics - How to Lose Weight and Reduce Glucose

2008-08-30T00:48:00.000-07:00

If you are diabetic and over weight, there is a good chance that you have tried many kinds of diet programs. I hope by the time you read this article, you have already got your weight and glucose under control. If not, you might try some of the suggestions below.

1. Before you start, cleanse your body system of toxins and get rid of all parasites and plagues.
Bowel detoxification with liquid clay and ground fax seeds are particularly helpful for improving body conditions, because the clay absorb toxins while the seeds expands in water and brush the intestine clean. Also bowel detoxification with ground dandelion leaves and apple juice help the liver to cleanse toxins rapidly.The next approach now is how to eliminate the parasites and plagues.

Harmful parasites: if left to live and breed inside your stomach, small and large intestine and your colon ant then uses your body as a food store house so they can live and breed by the millions. They will eventually cause you to get sick.

Plague: If let alone, it will cause you to get sick more often.

Vermifuge, taenifuges, anti fungals are natural remedies helpful to get rid of these harmful parasites and plagues.

2. Put extra protein in your diet, but reduce daily intake of red meats.
By substituting your daily intake of red meat by cold water fish that has plenty of proteins and omega 3 fatty acid. Omega 3 fatty acid helps to lower triglycerides without causing the rise of glucose in your bloodstream.

3. Increase intake of food with high fiber and blood purifier.
Fiber helps to reduce the amount of insulin released by the pancreas by slowing down the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose entering the bloodstream. Fiber also absorb water, causing it to swell. This gives a nice feeling of fullness that many weight loss programs do not provide. Food with high fiber such as broccoli, berries, peanut, spinach, whole grain, etc. lower cholesterol, triglycerides and improve diabetes.

4. Add some foods that reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Most foods that reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure has a profit of lower glucose in your bloodstream. Omega-3 fatty acids have the uncanny ability to
break down cholesterol in the lining of blood vessels and also serve as a solvent
for saturated fats and eventually lower your blood pressure.

5. Foods help to reduce glucose in your blood stream.
1/2 table spoon of cinnamon and cactus tea everyday could be enough to help control your blood sugar. Cinnamon can help your fat cell recognize and response to insulin better. Other natural remedies such as garlic, ginger, bitter melon and etc. also have the same ability to lower blood sugars as well.

6. Quit smoking and reduce alcohol intake.

7. Exercise.
Physical activity improves insulin sensitivity, allowing your body to make better use of its own insulin.

8. Water and green leaf vegetables.
Drink at least 8 ounces of water everyday to avoid brain dehydration and help the kidney to cleanse through the urine produced.

Green leaf vegetable has vitamins A, C, E and other minerals that help to replace vitamins and minerals of juices. You can enjoy leafy green vegetables every day without having to worry about them raising your glucose levels.

Six Benefits of a Nourishing Diabetic Diet

2008-08-30T00:47:00.001-07:00

For most people, the best way to live and maintain a healthier lifestyle is to start on a diet but for a diabetic it is vital that they start on a diabetic diet as soon as they can. This diet will help regulate their blood sugar levels and keep them stable. Here are 6 additional benefits that show how important it is for diabetics to start on a diabetic diet.

One additional benefit is that it helps diabetics keep a normal level of blood sugar. Maintaining a steady blood sugar level helps lessen the health problems that can come up in the future. This is why having a steady blood sugar level is very essential to a diabetic.

Another benefit is that it helps trim down the amount of medication one might need in their normal day to day life, whether it is insulin or pills that help produce insulin. Insulin is needed by our bodies to maintain a normal level of blood sugar. The insulin carries the sugar into our cells which produces energy. By maintaining a diabetic diet with foods like good carbohydrates, fiber, and lean meats, you can actually reduce how much insulin your body needs.

A further benefit is that it helps you avoid having your blood sugar levels fall too low which can result in you becoming hyperglycemic. Your body needs sugar in order to sustain its normal functions. It does this by converting the sugar in your blood into energy. Without this, you could suffer some serious health issues including going into a coma and possibly death.

One other benefit is that it also helps you avoid having your blood sugar level getting too high which can cause you to become hypoglycemic. This condition is caused by eating way too much of the wrong foods like candy and sweets. If left too high for a long period of time, it can cause great damage to your blood vessels, heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.

An added benefit is that you can actually lose a little bit of weight. More often than not, type 2 diabetics have developed diabetes just because they were overweight. So, if they go on a diabetic diet and lose the additional weight, they may also overcome diabetes.

A further benefit is that it can raise your metabolism which will help your body manage the foods you eat. By simply adding a mild workout routine to your daily schedule, you can help your body become much healthier and manage your diabetes much better.

There are many benefits for people to start a diabetic diet and obtain a healthier lifestyle. Some of the benefits are that it helps keep a normal level of blood sugar in your body, it helps alleviate how much medication your body needs, it helps your blood sugar level to not get too low, it helps your blood sugar level to not get too high, it helps you lose a bit of weight, and it helps raise your metabolism to better manage the processing of foods.

Diabetes Control and Prevention - Preventing the Onset of Diabetes

2008-08-30T00:47:00.000-07:00

If your family has a history of diabetes, then you and your children have a high risk of developing it as well. If you notice that you experience one or more of this disease symptoms, then you might want to take heed before it is too late.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type. It develops gradually depending on diet, lifestyle, and present risk factors. It can be avoided so long as it is detected early, and the needed changes to lifestyle and diet are implemented. Here are a few ways to prevent it:

Make good food choices.

You are what you eat. If you eat lots of fatty food, you'll have high blood pressure and heart attack later on. If you eat lots of sweets and carbohydrates, you have great risk of having diabetes. If you eat lots of fiber-rich foods, you have good digestion. For preventing it, you need to lessen your sugar and carbohydrate intake, and increase your consumption of vegetables and whole grains.

Drink 8 glasses of water.

This will help in eliminating the excess sugar we have in our bodies. It's a way to cleanse, refresh, and replenish the body. FYI: a glass of juice is not 100% water; coffee is only 50% water, and milk is 90% water.

Be active!

Exercise, or even just walking several miles and taking the stairs is a big difference compared to just sitting on your butt lazing around. More activity will help in regulating your sugar level, and it will also help improve your metabolic rate.

Learn how to manage your insulin.

Doing this will help you make better food choices. You will know which food will cause a high level of glucose in your system. You will also learn which food is healthier and more filling, so that you won't have the urge to eat so much so often.

These are very simple ways to prevent diabetes, but they may be difficult if your lifestyle is set in stone. Just be patient and love yourself. Chocolate cake is more tempting than whole wheat bread (and yes, it tastes a whole lot better!) but you don't have to do without it. The key is moderation: eat lots of healthy food, exercise, and drink enough water everyday, and at the end of the week, you can enjoy your slice of cake.

Diabetes Myths - A Must For Every Diabetic to Know

2008-08-30T00:46:00.000-07:00

Insulin and food are key components of diabetes care. Diabetics have many doubts and suspicions. It's no surprise that a lot of myths in diabetes revolve around these two topics. In this article I have tried to clear these myths so that more and more diabetics have the true knowledge to for better management.

Myth No.1> No Symptoms of Diabetes Appear before Damage Has Occurred

Diabetes is sometimes called "the Silent Disease," but this is not true. Diabetes actually has plenty of symptoms like increased urination, increased thirst, dry skin, fatigue, blurry vision, irritability, extreme hunger, eating without weight gain, unexpected and unusual weight loss, these symptoms aren't severe, so they often go unnoticed by parents and caretakers.Put simply, it's hard to accept the fact that there's something seriously wrong with body.

Myth No.2> Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Are the Same

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes share some common characteristics but they are hardly the same disease. They differ in the following ways:

Type 1 is a genetic tendency plus a virus. These patients have an absolute lack of insulin and most cases occur in childhood. Type 1 can't be controlled by diet and exercise alone. Most patients are thin.

The cause of Type 2 is heredity plus obesity plus a sedentary lifestyle. These patients have insulin resistance and it mostly occurs after age 35.It can be controlled with diet and exercise alone. Patients are generally (but not always) fat.

Myth No.3> You Can't Eat Sugar with Type 1 Diabetes

Today, there are probably more types of insulin available than are needed. A little injected insulin can take care of lots of sugar or other carbohydrates.A corollary to this myth is that diabetes caused by consuming too many sweets. Doctors have a pretty good idea of the cause of diabetes, and sweets have nothing to do with it.

Myth No.4> You Have to Eat Special Foods When You Have Diabetes

With diabetes, there's no advantage to eating special diabetic foods. It's difficult enough to deal with all the requirements for good diabetes care to have to eat boring tasteless foods! Food is one of life's great pleasures. Diabetics can have excellent glucose control with regular food so long as you account for the carbohydrate in it.

Myth No.5> If You Take Insulin, You Must Have Type 1 Diabetes

In Type 1, insulin is an essential part of diabetes care because the disease is characterized by a total lack of insulin in the body. On the other hand, in Type 2, insulin is a tool to get the blood glucose to a level at which diet and exercise can work. Type 2 is a lifestyle disease, not a disease of lack of insulin. When someone with Type 2 improves his diet, exercise regimen, and weight, he can manage Type 2 without insulin.

Myth No.6> Insulin Causes Atherosclerosis

The fact is that insulin actually causes a decline in atherosclerosis by reversing the processes that lead to elevated blood glucose levels and elevated fatty acids in the blood.

Myth No.7> Insulin Cures Type 1 Diabetes

Many myths concern great new cures for Type 1 with this medication or that medication. Ignore them. At the present time, no single medication can cure Type 1 diabetes.

Myth No.8> Women with Diabetes Shouldn't Get Pregnant

The woman with diabetes who's even thinking about a pregnancy must improve her glucose control so that she has HbA1c below 7 percent before she conceives. She also must keep her blood glucose below 90 mg/dl before a meal and below 120 mg/dl an hour after the meal throughout the pregnancy.

Myth No.9> Doctors Are Hiding the Cure for Diabetes So They Can Make More Money

There's nothing further from the truth than this myth. Scientists are a highly competitive bunch. None of them is holding back a diabetes cure because they can feel the others breathing down their necks! Thousands of hard-working doctors and other scientists have dedicated their lives to finding a cure for diabetes

With the proper knowledge about diabetes we can easily overcome the diabetes and its related complications.

What Are the Main Causes of Diabetes?

2008-08-29T02:44:00.001-07:00

Research into diabetes is increasing all the time. Despite this no one actually knows what specifically causes diabetes. This has led to a number of rumours circulating some which are partially true and others which hold no truth at all. In this article I will be discussing what is known about the causes of diabetes.

1) GENERAL CAUSES:- We know that diabetes develops as a result of your body's cells not getting enough insulin (a hormone which helps convert blood sugar/glucose into energy). This is usually because your pancreas fails to generate enough insulin or because your body's cells start to resist insulin. Although we know what leads to the development of diabetes we do not currently know why this happens in certain individuals and not others.

2) GESTATIONAL DIABETES (GDM):- Again we do not know the exact causes of GDM although it is strongly linked with hormonal changes that occur during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. During this time the placenta releases hormones which block the normal action of insulin to ensure that the growing baby gets enough glucose. This causes pregnant women's insulin needs to increase by two or three times the normal rate. Failure to meet this need leads to the onset of GDM. Approximately 5% of pregnant women develop GDM and although we have a good idea of what causes it, we do not know why it affects certain women and not others. There are a number of associated risk factors but currently no definitive reason.

3) TYPE 1 DIABETES:- Type 1 diabetes is caused by damage to the pancreas as the result of an auto-immune attack where the body's immune system starts to attack the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas. Once more, whilst we know what causes type 1 diabetes we are still unsure what triggers this response. A number of suggestions have been put forward (including viral infections and faulty nerves) but currently none of these suggestions can be applied universally.

4) TYPE 2 DIABETES AND PRE-DIABETES:- Pre-diabetes is an early form of type 2 diabetes and the causes of each are very similar. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body stops responding to insulin. The pancreas reacts by producing additional insulin and the liver responds by releasing extra glucose. Over time this limits the effectiveness of the pancreas and further increases insulin resistance in the body. As with the other types of diabetes we do not know what causes the above reaction. However, there is very strong evidence that type 2 diabetes is linked to age, ethnicity, family history, inactivity and obesity.

5) RUMOURS:- Since the exact cause of diabetes is unknown, there are a number of false suggestions floating around. These include diabetes being contagious (there is a hereditary element but it cannot be passed directly from person to person), diabetes being caused by sugar (excessive sugar consumption does not cause diabetes but is linked with obesity, a diabetes risk factor) and stress causing diabetes (stress can aggravate the condition in diabetics but there is currently no evidence that it causes diabetes).

Currently, we have a general understanding of what happens inside our bodies to cause diabetes. However, the trigger behind these causes is still a mystery. Perhaps the strongest link is that between inactivity, obesity and type 2 diabetes but even this does not fully explain why some obese individuals never develop the disease. As research into the causes of diabetes continues, the best advice is to try and keep your blood sugar levels within a normal range. Keeping your weight under control, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet can all play their part in this process.

Every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative but it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. If you have any concerns regarding any form of diabetes you should seek the advice of your doctor immediately.

Can Diabetics Really Eat Chocolate?

2008-08-29T02:44:00.000-07:00

Did you know .... Flavanols in chocolate have been shown to help improve insulin use in the body. Dark chocolate with nuts comes in low on the glycemic index at 33. Chocolate helps to improve circulation and lower blood pressure. Chocolate is one of the richest sources of antioxidants on the planet. We live fast-paced, convenience-focused, time-deprived lives and Americans' food choices reflect this fact. The ease of grabbing a sweet snack combined with our love affair with sugar has diabetes running rampant, a disease growing at such a rate it's been labeled an epidemic.

An estimated 7% of Americans currently suffer, but the number of cases diagnosed in the last seven years increased by 54%. Worse, more children are being diagnosed with diabetes than ever before due to their perpetual processed-food diets. A lack of education on the detrimental affects of the disease has many people blindly plowing through the day on a continual sugar high, running to the nearest candy machine the moment they feel tired.

Over time, this daily (and even hourly) food abuse causes the pancreas, which produces insulin to lower blood sugar to healthy levels, to quit working properly. By this time, "onset diabetes" is only a diagnosis away. Despite the fact that onset diabetes can be avoided by minor changes in food choices, Americans aren't likely to adjust their eating habits any time soon. The cereal/latté breakfast, fast food lunch and carb-rich dinner isn't just a habit, it's a lifestyle. But snacks are a great place to start the change because it's easy to switch from chips to chocolate, and here's why you should--especially if you have high blood sugar or diabetes. Diabetics need to eat low glycemic index foods ((less than 55 on the glycemic index) to keep blood sugar low. When eaten alone, dark chocolate comes in at 50 on the index. But when eaten with nuts (any kind), it's comes in at a low 33 in the index, making it a perfect snack choice. A diabetic's pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin, so what little is there needs to be used very effectively.

The flavanols in chocolate have been shown to help improve insulin use in the body, helping reduce the strain on the already insulin-deprived system. Diabetics need extra antioxidants to help combat health problems that often arrive with a diagnosis of diabetes (heart disease, weight gain and more). Because it's made from the seeds of a fruit tree, chocolate is one of the richest sources of antioxidants on the planet. But just-say-no to milk and white chocolate-all the antioxidants are in the cocoa powder, so dark is a must. Milk and white also have too much sugar. Diabetics often simultaneously suffer from high blood pressure.

Chocolate helps the body release nitric oxide, a natural compound that helps blood vessels relax, improve circulation, and lower blood pressure. Ultimately whether or not you have diabetes, dark chocolate (preferably with nuts) is an excellent snack choice for the reasons listed above and many more. The difference between guilt-ridden and guilt-free chocolate eating is simply education. So the next time you have a choice, choose chocolate. (Note: If you've been advised by your doctor not to eat sweets, check first before adding dark chocolate to your diet.)

Julie Pech, author of The Chocolate Therapist; A User's Guide to the Extraordinary Health Benefits of Chocolate

Julie is an award winning author and international speaker. Julie maintains that the only difference between eating chocolate every day guilt-free, versus guilt-laden, is "education". Her mission? To change the chocolate-eating world as we know it today, one convert at a time.

To get the job done properly, Julie offers entertaining and educational presentations for groups, speaking on the health benefits of chocolate at hospitals, corporate luncheons, women's groups, men's groups, retirement communities, and fund raisers.

Julie has appeared on national radio shows, local TV and talk shows, travels as an international guest speaker with cruise lines, teaches classes at Colorado Free University, and has been featured in numerous national magazines and newspapers. She is currently producing 13 episode television program about chocolate to be aired in February 2009.

Pros and Cons of Using Insulin Pump - Diabetics Must Know Before Using It

2008-08-29T02:42:00.000-07:00

Most people who have type 1 diabetes prefer using a pump over other methods of delivering insulin. A lot of diabetic experts suffering from diabetes prefer pumps over needles.

Here are five additional reasons that people who like the pump cite for using one:

* The pump delivers insulin to the body much like the pancreas does.
* One can adjust the amount of insulin by fractions of a unit and have many different amounts at different times of day. The insulin pump easily adapts to a patient's lifestyle.
* Taking a larger dose before meals is as easy as pushing a button on the pump.
* One can be more flexible with meals because he's constantly getting a small dose of insulin.
* That's great news for today's active youngsters. There's less risk of hypoglycemia because you are getting small amounts of insulin at a time

On the other hand, here are five equally significant reasons that people don't like to use an insulin pump:

* It's much more expensive than conventional syringes and needles.
* The pump is visible, especially when one wears less clothing on hot days. Also, if there's a blockage, an alarm goes off. Essentially, it makes diabetes more obvious to others.
* If the pump fails for any reason that doesn't set off an alarm, such as a leak, one has so little insulin in his body that he may rapidly go into KETOACIDOSIS.
* You need to monitor his blood glucose more frequently, sometimes more than four times daily, to properly use the pump. And right now, monitoring still means finger sticks.
* The pump is attached to the body 24 hours a day, making sleeping and physical activities like sports less convenient.
* Pump wearers who engage in sex may find the pump inconvenient because it's attached to the body.

Kids of all ages can use the insulin pump. Parents usually manage the pump until they feel the child can do it.

Insulin pump is best suited for those diabetic have the following characteristics:

* They're highly motivated.
* They're willing to stick themselves multiple times a day to check their blood glucose.
* They can afford the costs involved because many insurances pay only a part of the pump expenses.
* They understand how the pre-meal glucose and the carbohydrates about to be consumed are used to determine the insulin dose.
* They have a good understanding of the complications of diabetes, especially signs of ketoacidosis.

By keeping the above mentioned pros and cons, it will help the diabetics to to make a better descion.

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

2008-08-27T00:27:00.000-07:00

Type 2 diabetes (also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes) is the most common form of diabetes affecting around 90% of sufferers. It develops when your pancreas no longer produces sufficient insulin (the hormone which helps break blood sugar down for energy) or when your body's cells become resistant to insulin.

It is not known exactly what triggers type 2 diabetes but development begins when the cells in your body stop responding to insulin. This restricts your ability to convert blood sugar into energy so the pancreas and liver both respond by releasing extra insulin and glucose. If this happens for a prolonged period, your pancreas's insulin production capabilities become limited and your body's cells start to further resist insulin. This eventually leads to your blood sugar levels becoming excessively high and the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Since type 2 diabetes often develops gradually over time the symptoms are very difficult to spot. In many cases there are no symptoms at all and even when symptoms do unfold they are typically so mild that the sufferer does not notice them. However, if you notice any of the following symptoms (no matter how slight) you could have type 2 diabetes:

- Cuts or sores that heal slowly.
- Feelings of drowsiness.
- Greater hunger and thirst levels.
- Soreness in your legs.

To get tested for type 2 diabetes you need to go and see your doctor. They will then test your blood sugar levels to gauge whether you have diabetes. Two of the most popular tests are the fasting plasma glucose test (where you fast for eight hours and then have your blood sugar levels measured) and the oral glucose tolerance test (where you consume a sugary drink and then have your blood sugar levels measured). If either of these tests confirm that you have type 2 diabetes your doctor will be able to give you further advice on effectively managing your condition.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with a number of complications and can cause serious damage to your body if not managed properly. Poorly management of the disease can lead to hyperosmotic non-ketotic acidosis (a type of coma brought on by a lack of insulin), damage to your eyes, damage to your heart, nerve damage and more. Thankfully, the majority of these complications can be avoided by following your doctors advice and managing your diabetes properly.

Your doctor is likely to make a number of recommendations in this area. You will be advised to get a blood testing kit so that you can continually check your blood sugar levels. You may also be prescribed insulin injections depending upon the severity of your condition (approximately 40% of type 2 diabetics require additional insulin). However, in most cases changes to your diet and exercise routine will be enough. On the diet side you will be advised to cut down on salt, reduce your alcohol intake and eat more frequently throughout the day. For the exercise you will be advised to participate in 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity activity per day.

The development of type 2 diabetes is heavily linked with poor lifestyle choices. If you want to stop this condition from destroying your health then you need to listen to your doctor and start making the correct lifestyle choices today.

Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. If you have any concerns regarding type 2 or any other form of diabetes you should seek the advice of your doctor immediately.

What is Type 1 Diabetes?

2008-08-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

Type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile onset or insulin dependent diabetes) develops when the pancreas becomes damaged meaning that your body can no longer produce insulin (the hormone which helps your body convert blood sugar/glucose into energy). It represents approximately 5% to 10% of all diabetes cases and can be fatal if left untreated.

The damage to the pancreas is usually the result of an auto-immune attack, when (for some unknown reason) the body's immune system starts to attack the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas. The result is that the pancreas can no longer supply the body with adequate levels of insulin, blood sugar levels become elevated and type 1 diabetes develops.

Since type 1 diabetes is the result of a rapid attack the symptoms also develop relatively quickly, usually in a matter of days or weeks. Things to look out for include:

- Clouded vision.
- Greater hunger and thirst levels.
- Increased fatigue levels.
- Weight loss.

If you do notice any of the above symptoms then go see your doctor immediately. They will probably recommend you take a Fast Plasma Glucose Test (FPG). For this test you will need to eat nothing in the eight hours before the test. Your doctor will then take a blood sample and if your blood sugar levels are above 126 milligrams per decilitre (mg/dL) you may have diabetes. To confirm whether you do actually have diabetes the test will be performed a second time. If your second reading is above 126 mg/dL then your doctor will diagnose you with diabetes.

If further investigation reveals that you have type 1 diabetes then your doctor will be on hand to help you manage the condition. If you have type 1 diabetes you will require insulin injections since your body can no longer produce the substance itself. You will also need to monitor your blood sugar levels regularly to determine when you require these injections. Your doctor will be able to talk you through the different types of insulin available and the types that are most suitable for you.

Apart from using insulin to treat type 1 diabetes, your doctor is also likely to advise you to make some lifestyle improvements. These will include improvements to your diet (eating a balanced diet, consuming more fruit and vegetables etc) and participating in regular exercise (which can include walking, cycling, participating in team sports etc). Making these changes will further help keep your blood sugar within normal levels.

Having type 1 diabetes means that you are at risk for a number of complications. One such complication is hypoglycaemia (extremely low blood sugar levels). Hypoglycaemia in diabetics usually occurs as a result of; excessive alcohol consumption (alcoholic beverages can inhibit glucose production), injecting too much insulin (insulin is used to lower your blood sugar levels to acceptable levels but too much can induce hypoglycaemia) and eating too little (your body gets glucose from the food you eat so eating too little can cause hypoglycaemia). Symptoms of hypoglycaemia can range from mild (paleness, shaking and sweating) to severe (temporary loss of consciousness and coma). Mild hypoglycaemia can often be treated alone by consuming some fast acting carbohydrates (such as candy, chocolate or glucose tablets). However, for severe hypoglycaemia you will are likely to require medical assistance.

Type 1 diabetes is a life changing condition. However, knowing that you have the condition means that you are in a much better position to manage it. By following the advice of your doctor and the tips listed in this article you can keep the negative symptoms of type 1 diabetes at bay and carry on living your life.

Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. If you have any concerns regarding type 1 or any other form of diabetes you should seek the advice of your doctor immediately.

What is Pre-Diabetes?

2008-08-27T00:25:00.000-07:00

Pre-diabetes, in simple terms, is a precursor to full type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes develops when your blood glucose/sugar levels become extremely high due to a lack of insulin in your body. Pre-diabetes occurs when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Unlike type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes can be reversed by making positive lifestyle changes. Therefore, it is a critical stage because by making the right choices you can avoid type 2 diabetes completely.

The exact causes of pre-diabetes are not fully understood but it is linked to a number of risk factors. Some of these risk factors (such as age, family history and race) are beyond your control. However, a number of the risk factors (including inactivity and obesity) are within your control. By maintaining a healthy body weight and doing more exercise you can reduce your risk of reverse pre-diabetes and halt the development of type 2 diabetes.

The symptoms of pre-diabetes are similar to those of type 2 diabetes, although they may not be as noticeable. If you find yourself becoming increasingly hungry or thirsty, urinating more frequently or vomiting regularly you may have pre-diabetes and should go see your doctor. They will then be able to perform various tests (including the fasting plasma glucose test and the oral glucose tolerance test) which will confirm whether you have pre-diabetes or not.

If you are diagnosed with pre-diabetes then you should be thankful because you have been given a final chance to evade full type 2 diabetes. Your doctor will be able to give you further advice on the positive lifestyle changes you should make. One of these changes will be to improve your diet by eating smaller meals more regularly, consuming adequate levels of fibre and eating lots of fruits and vegetables. Another change will be to become more active by doing a little exercise each day with walking, cycling, swimming or participating in team sports all excellent choices.

By implementing the above lifestyle changes you can keep your weight under control, moderate your blood sugar levels, increase your body's sensitivity to insulin and most importantly prevent type 2 diabetes from developing. An increasing number of people around the world are contracting diabetes with the latest estimates suggesting that over 200 million people worldwide have diabetes. Acting on your pre-diabetes now will allow you to avoid becoming part of these constantly increasing numbers.

Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. If you have any concerns regarding pre-diabetes or diabetes you should seek the advice of your doctor immediately.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

2008-08-25T03:14:00.000-07:00

When you are pregnant you have to deal with a number of changes. Your body will change, your diet will change and your mood will change. Unfortunately, one of the other changes you may have to deal with is the development of gestational diabetes (also known as gestational diabetes mellitus or the shortened GDM).

You may be wondering what is GDM? Essentially, GDM is a type of diabetes that develops temporarily during pregnancy. It affects approximately one in twenty pregnant women. Although no one is certain what causes GDM, a popular suggestion is that the placenta releases insulin blocking hormones during the second and third trimesters to ensure that the growing baby gets enough glucose. As a result pregnant women's blood sugar levels rise and they have to produce additional insulin to break it down into energy. Those who cannot produce enough extra insulin develop GDM.

Your doctor should test you for GDM during your pregnancy. Usually, you will be tested between the twenty fourth and twenty eighth week via an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). This test involves consuming a glucose orally and then being tested at regular intervals to see how your body breaks it down.

The symptoms of GDM are often difficult to notice. However, if you are constantly hungry or thirsty, urinating more frequently or feel tired a lot of the time you could have GDM. Whilst GDM is not an immediate risk to your health, it can become one if not managed properly. Some of the health risks linked to poorly managed GDM include; premature labour, macrosomia (giving birth to a baby with a large birth weight) and an increased chance of developing type 2 diabetes in later life.

Your doctor can help you manage your GDM, usually by making some small lifestyle improvements. First, you will be advised to eat healthily. Try and eat a good mix of complex carbohydrates, proteins and unsaturated fats and also try to eat smaller meals more regularly. Secondly, you will be advised to do at least half an hour of exercise per day. If these changes do not help lower your blood sugar levels then your doctor may prescribe insulin to help you control your GDM.

As a pregnant woman being diagnosed with GDM is not going to be a pleasant experience. However, your doctor will be on hand to help you with your GDM every step of the way. Try to remember it is a temporary condition that in most cases lasts for no longer than twelve weeks and can be managed by making a few small changes to your daily routine. If you follow that mindset your GDM will be gone before you know it.

Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. If you have any concerns regarding GDM or diabetes you should seek the advice of your doctor immediately.

Diabetes and Eye Problems

2008-08-25T03:13:00.001-07:00

People with diabetes can hardly process starches and sugars through their systems. These compounds remain un-assimilated and become part of blood that flows through the blood stream. High levels of sugar (or glucose) in the blood, constitute a condition that is also known as glycemia. A blood test often determines or establishes if one has glycemia or not. Diabetics need access to monitors and are expected to regularly test their blood sugar levels to check if they are having conditions of glycemia or not.

Glycemia gives rise to various side effects or complications for people with diabetes. The complications or side effects include heart, circulation, blood vessel, kidney, sexual and eye problems. High blood sugar levels strain the blood vessels and put at risk the eyesight of diabetics. Eye problems caused by diabetes result from pressure on delicate blood vessels surrounding the various parts of the eye, such as the vitreous, retina, optic nerve and lens.

It takes time for eye problems caused by diabetes to make themselves manifest. The problems begin with retina damage. Very small blood vessels comprise the retina and high amounts of blood sugar cause these tiny vessels to get irritated and swell. The retina fails to function at full capacity and afflicted persons begin to experience eyesight problems. This therefore makes it necessary for diabetics to avail themselves of eye examination at least once every year. The examination includes, among other things, dilating the eyes to determine how the condition may have improved or worsened.

Advanced condition of eye problems caused by diabetes is known as diabetic retinopathy. Diabetics must seek the help of qualified opthamologists who have had experiences treating, or at least familiar with, this particular condition.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include flashing lights, blurry vision, aching sensation in the eyes, and dark spots fronting the eyes. Diabetics who experience these problems must consult an ophthalmologist for a thorough eye examination. In extreme but not very remote cases, surgery might be needed by diabetics who are having eye problems to restore their eyesight. Treatments are also available that can prevent more damage to the eye.

Eye problems caused by diabetes can be controlled by following a responsive diabetic diet that is guided by the Glycemic Index. This index rates various foods and indicates which of them should have no place in a diabetic diet. Diabetics are also well advised to have plenty of exercise, and shun smoking and alcohol. Maintaining normal weights is also very important for diabetics.

There are other known eye problems caused by diabetes. They include glaucoma and cataracts. Compared to glaucoma, a cataract is easy to treat. Glaucoma can lead to blindness and needs a more complex treatment. This further explains why diabetics who experience eye problems must seek the help of competent ophthalmologists.

Eye problems caused by diabetes can be prevented by diabetics if they maintain a diet and lifestyle that responds positively to their condition, and comply faithfully to the treatment prescribed for them. They need regular doses of exercise. They must watch their weight. They need to familiarize themselves with the Glycemic Index and they need to deprive themselves with foods that have high carbohydrate and sugar content. They must reject alcohol and smoking. It is necessary for them to comply with the medication prescribed for them by their doctors. They need to monitor their blood sugar levels regularly, again as instructed by doctors. By following these dietary and medical guidelines, diabetics can avoid eye problems and other dangerous complications caused by diabetes.

Diabetes - A Good Diet Helps

2008-08-25T03:13:00.000-07:00

Patients who are diagnosed with diabetes often ask if a good diet can help the disease in check. Most doctors agree - patients can keep diabetes in check with a good diet, one that's is low in sugars and carbohydrates. Such a diet may not necessarily help patients totally get rid of the disease, but it helps them avoid complications that are associated with diabetes.

Diabetics have problems breaking down and converting foods like starches and sugars into compounds that are needed by body cells. Instead they remain in the blood and increases sugar levels in the bloodstream. Too much sugar, or glucose, in the blood is an abnormality called glycemia. There are two types of diabetes, namely Type 1 and Type 2. Diabetics of either type suffer from very high blood sugar conditions. Problems in breaking down sugar also take their toll on other vital organs of the body, and often cause dysfunctions of the heart, eyesight, liver, kidneys and blood circulation.

When doctors treat diabetics, they usually apply medication, or insulin, depending on what stage their disease maybe at. The purpose of medication or insulin is to help body systems process blood sugars and break them down, allowing patients to expel excess sugar. But medication and insulin can only do so much; they cannot substitute for a good, healthy diet. Taking insulin or medication does not give patients license to eat as much sugar and carbohydrates as they can. Keeping diabetes in check requires patients not only to take insulin or medication per doctor's prescription; adhering to healthy diabetic diet is equally important. It is necessary therefore for diabetics to familiarize themselves with foods they must avoid or which foods they may eat sparingly.

This makes the Glycemic Index very useful. Established and adopted in 1981, the Glycemic Index identifies and rates carbohydrates in terms of how they adversely affect diabetics. Foods that top the list, like white bread, are hard to digest and must be avoided. Carbohydrates with low scores, on the other hand, like brown rice, may be eaten sparingly. Since it is almost impossible to do away with carbohydrates completely, it is important for diabetics to familiarize themselves with the Glycemic Index and adopt a diet on the basis of what the Index suggests.

The Glycemic Index also identifies and rates carbohydrates in the middle of the pack. People may find it surprising, for example, that chocolate bars rate in the middle group of the Glycemic Index list. But by no means this would suggest that diabetics may freely consume chocolate everytime they have opportunities to do so. The Glycemic Index tells people what foods need to be avoided at all cost and which foods can be taken in with moderation.

A good diet is therefore important to keep diabetes in check. A good diet cannot cure diabetes, but it can help diabetics live a healthier and longer life. Diabetics need to familiarize themselves with the Glycemic Index so that they can be guided on what foods to take and thereby help control their affliction.

Diabetes and Sexual Problems

2008-08-23T02:32:00.001-07:00

Diabetics go through daily struggles with their ailment. And they still have to cope with other discomforts and pain associated with diabetes. One of the many complications that diabetics are likely to contend with are sexual problems. These sexual problems that are caused by diabetes affect both women and men, although not in the same way for both sexes. The nervous system governs the way how our bodies respond to all kinds of stimuli, including sexual stimuli. High blood sugar levels adversely affect the nervous system, which in turn create sexual problems for diabetics.
Male diabetics who have sexual problems often experience erectile dysfunction. In fact the American Diabetes Institute has estimated that no less than 85 percent of diabetic men go through various degrees of erectile dysfunction. Aside from the possibility of putting undue strain on their marriages, such a condition also takes a heavy toll on their emotional well-being. They have to contend not only with diabetes as a disease, they also have to grapple with sagging self-confidence.
The medical profession identifies erectile dysfunction as one of the symptoms of diabetes. Thus in a situation where a man experiences erectile dysfunction, especially for extended periods of time, it is important for him to consult his doctor to make sure if he is suffering from undiagnosed diabetes or not. It is a good thing that treatments or medications are available for men who are having sexual problems caused by diabetes. What patients need is to fully disclose their problems with their doctors.
Unfortunately, male sexual problems caused by diabetes are not limited to erectile dysfunction. There is also what is called as retrograde ejaculation. This problem can even be more dangerous or fatal for men with diabetes. Retrograde ejaculation is a condition where semen goes into the bladder rather than out of the penis when a man ejaculates. Fixing this disorder needs the help of a urologist who may intervene with either medication or surgery.
Sexual problems caused by diabetes do not affect men alone. Women who have diabetes are also vulnerable to experiencing sexual problems. As mentioned earlier, high blood glucose levels can damage the nervous system which, among women, can adversely affect the nerve cells surrounding the vagina. The female sex organ may not respond normally to sexual stimuli, such as lubrication of the vaginal canal during sexual intercourse, which can then result in a painful experience for the woman. There had also been reports that indicate many women who reported nerve damage from hyperglycemia have likewise lost sensation within their genital zones, causing them to lose interest in the sexual act itself. As with men who experience sexual problems due to diabetes, women whose desire for sex has waned can create psychological problems and put pressure on keeping their marriages alive.
Discussing with physicians is not as easy for patients whose ailments are related to sexual problems. But diabetics must understand that they are prone to a number of side effects that unfortunately may impinge upon sexual relations. The best recourse for them is always to seek the help of their physicians who, after fully discussing the problems with them, would be in the best position to provide medical treatment. There are a good number of treatments that can be applied by men and women who are experiencing sexual problems caused by diabetes.
The more common treatments include maintaining the normal levels of blood sugar through exercise, taking a healthy and low-carbohydrate diet and, in more serious cases, taking insulin or medication. Patients need to regularly monitor their blood glucose as directed by doctors. Any information related to sexual problems caused by diabetes is best disclosed to physicians. This way they get proper advice. By knowing what patients can do under their condition they can help themselves manage their sickness better and look forward to a healthier and longer life.

Diabetes - Good Diet

2008-08-23T02:32:00.000-07:00

Diabetes has become an alarming disease. It has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. It is time for the general public to be conscious about it. For people with diabetes, extra care in picking their diet will not only let them control the disease, it can also help them do away with insulin. Doctors often prescribe pills or tablets for most diabetics in an effort to stabilize their condition before resorting to any use of insulin. Choosing a diet specially programmed for people with diabetes can help them prolong the treatment of their ailment with medication and thereby postpone the use of insulin.
People who suffer from diabetes have problems breaking down and assimilating carbohydrates into their system. Carbohydrates are a fairly big group or cluster of foods that people need for a balanced diet. Sugar, which many people think diabetics must stay away from, is only one example or component of carbohydrates. Aside from white sugar, other elements of carbohydrates can be found in pasta, white bread, some vegetables, potatoes, fruits, and any food with high content of white flour.
Carbohydrates constitute a complex assemblage of foods. Different groups give rise to different conditions in the blood stream. Although people with diabetes have problems breaking down carbohydrates in general, the most difficult process happens with carbohydrates that rate high in the Glycemic Index. Foods with the highest Glycemic Index rating also pose the greatest harm for diabetics.
A diet for people with diabetes allows them to limit their intake of harmful carbohydrates as indicated in the Glycemic Index. Those who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and given medication as well as diet suggestions by their doctors, would do very well to heed the doctors' advice. Studies show that people with diabetes tend to be more in denial and non-compliant compared to other categories of patients. This should not be the case. By electing to follow rigorously a diet for people with diabetes and taking the prescribed medication, diabetics can still live to the fullest.
A diet for people with diabetes is low in carbohydrates and high in protein. Sugars and white flour must be discarded. Rice, pasta and any food that is rich in carbohydrates, should be avoided. The low carbohydrate diet that was fashionable years ago can be helpful for diabetics. Such a diet had at varying degrees very limited content of carbohydrates. Also helpful are diabetic cookbooks which diabetics can use to prepare a diet that effectively responds to their needs.
The bad news is many people continue to be found having diabetes. The good news is there is now a growing body of information about cookbooks and diets for people with diabetes that is available in the market or through the internet. Diabetes puts a heavy strain on the human body. Having a healthy diet can reduce the ill-effects of the disease on the body and allow diabetics to live a fruitful and longer lives.
It is important for diabetics to get themselves familiar with the Glycemic Index, rigorously follow a diet prescribed for people with diabetes, get their blood sugar levels regularly monitored and take their medication per doctor's prescription. This is the only way they can keep their disease in check and prevent many of its dreaded complications from arising.

Let Natural Health Deal With Your Diabetes

2008-08-23T02:31:00.000-07:00

A Bit About the Disease:
Diabetes mellitus, or simply, Diabetes, is a deviation from the natural health condition of the body, and is characterized by less than optimum utilization of glucose by the body due to partial or complete lack of insulin produced by the pancreas. The symptoms include excessive urine production, or polyuria, excessive thirst and increased fluid intake, or polydipsia, blurred vision, unexplained weight loss and lethargy. Diabetes is of two types - Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 Diabetes is generally, but not necessarily, a birth defect where the body just doesn't produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar at normal levels. Type 2 Diabetes afflicts mostly people with excessive weight and the condition is characterized by the inability of the body to use insulin secreted by the pancreas. There is also a less common type of Diabetes - Gestational Diabetes - that occurs in women during the second half of pregnancy and disappears after delivery.
Natural Remedies for Treating Diabetes:
Type 2 Diabetes is also known as a 'lifestyle disease', which simply means that it can be prevented by taking some positive lifestyle improvement measures, and controlled by resorting to multiple natural remedies. The following few paragraphs enunciate some of the effective natural remedies to treat Diabetes.
The first thing you can do is to change your lifestyle from lethargic to a more active one. Daily regular walk and moderate exercise form part of a natural health routine. Physical exercise must be supported by Yoga asanas to be performed under the assistance and guidance of an expert. Remember, Yoga is definitely beneficial for your health, but if performed in a wrong manner, it can also lead to further health complications. The aim is to reduce the weight in a healthy manner and to achieve ideal bodyweight.
Diet restriction is also part and parcel of a Diabetic's life. Don'ts include alcohol, soft drinks, sugary desserts, fruit-juice, fatty, fried, and cholesterol-rich food. Do's include vegetables, fruit, fermented whole grains, fiber-rich food, bitter gourd, almonds, and substances high in omega three oils (olive oil, flaxseed oil, fish oil, borage oil).
As an integral part of natural health, plenty of home remedies are also prescribed for the treatment of Diabetes. Some of these include:-
1. Take 1-liter of boiling water and add 3-tablespoons of cinnamon. Simmer for 20 minutes and then, strain the mixture. Drink this mixture daily. 2. Drink watery juice of a small Bitter Gourd every morning. 3. Boil 3-4 fresh leaves of mango tree in the morning and drink.
Undoubtedly, there are plenty more natural remedies available for the treatment of Diabetes. In fact, our traditional knowledge has proven more than occasionally that attainment of natural health through natural means in not only desirable, but also possible.

What Are the First Signs of Diabetes?

2008-08-23T02:30:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, diabetes runs in your family. Knowing what symptoms to look for makes it much easier to know if you or someone you love may have diabetes.
There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is when your pancreas does not secrete enough insulin. Type 2 diabetes is when your body does not sufficiently absorb the insulin your pancreas produces.
There are many symptoms for diabetes. The most recognizable for all types of diabetes is excessive thirst, hunger, and urination. Symptoms for Type I diabetes can develop quite rapidly, in as little as weeks or months. Symptoms for Type 2 diabetes are generally milder and can take much longer to surface.
Type I diabetes often causes rapid weight loss, even though there may be an increase of food intake. It also causes prolonged fatigue, nausea, blurry vision, dry mouth, bad breath, and slowed healing.
There are a few circumstances, you should seek medical attention immediately.
If you feel nauseated, weak, and excessively thirsty; are urinating very frequently; have abdominal pain; or are breathing more than normal, with sweet breath that smells like nail polish remover. You may need immediate medical attention for ketoacidosis, a potentially deadly complication of Type I diabetes. If you are having weakness or fainting spells; are experiencing a rapid heartbeat, trembling, and excessive sweating; and feel irritable, hungry, or suddenly drowsy. You could be developing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). You may need a carbohydrate snack promptly to prevent more serious complications.

Diabetes Mellitus - Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment

2008-08-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition in which the capacity to produce insulin in the body is marginally or significantly reduced. Because of this condition, glucose uptake by the body cells becomes deficient, and blood sugar levels increase. Type 1 diabetic patients produce little or no insulin, and hence need insulin injections to control their blood sugar. Type 2 diabetic patients can control their blood sugar with a combination of diet, weight management, exercise and glucose-lowering medications.

Diabetes mellitus is known in Ayurveda as "Madhumeha". Ayurveda describes the pathology of this disease as resulting from a disturbed "Meda, Kleda and Kapha". It is believed that all the body tissues lose their vitality because of this condition.

Type 1 diabetic patients who are dependent on insulin injections should monitor their blood sugar and continue the injections regularly. Type 2 diabetic patients may be able to control their blood sugar with Ayurvedic medicines and other measures like diet restrictions and weight control.

Traditional Ayurvedic formulations useful in diabetes are: Arogya Vardhini, Vasant Kusumakar Rasa, Chandraprabha Vati, Prameha Gaja Kesari, Lodhrasava, Khadirarishta, Jambvasava, Trivanga Bhasma, and Suvarna Makshik Bhasma. Herbal medicines useful in this condition are: Haridra (Curcuma longa), Nimba (Azadirachta indica), Karela (Momordica charantia), Saptakapi (Casearia esculenta), Musta (Cyperus rotundus), Daruharidra (Berberis aristata), Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), Khadeer (Acacia catechu), Lodhra (Symplocos racemosa), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Patol (Trichosanthe dioica), Vata (Ficus bengalensis), Udumbar (Ficus glomerata), Jamun (Syzygium cumini), Bilwa (Aegle marmelos) , Gudmar (Gymnema sylvestre), Methi (Trigonella foenum-graecum), Asana (Pterocarpus marsupium),Shilajit (Purified Bitumen) and Kumbha (Leucas cephalotes).

Most of the herbal medicines mentioned above reduce blood sugar gradually, and stimulate the body to secrete insulin on its own. These medicines also act on the "Meda" and "Kapha" tissues, reduce "Kleda", and restore body vitality. Thus they act on the basic pathology of this disease. Taken for long periods, these medicines may help to reverse the disease process in diabetes, and give long lasting relief, or sometimes, even a permanent cure. Unlike modern medicines, medical emergencies like hypoglycemia (a sudden lowering of blood sugar) are not seen with the use of herbal medicines.

Long-term complications of diabetes include diseases related to the eyes, nerves, kidneys, heart, brain, intestines, sexual organs, skin and feet. Ayurvedic medicines are very effective in preventing or significantly reducing symptoms related to these complications, and are useful in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Ayurvedic medicines used specially for this are: Tapyadi Loha, Kaishor Guggulu, Agni Tundi Rasa, Vish Tinduk Vati, Kanchnaar Guggulu, Trayodashang Guggulu, Ekanga Veer Rasa, Vaat Gajankush Rasa and Amalaki (Emblica officinalis).

Thus, Ayurvedic medicines are useful both for reducing blood sugar and for treating long-term complications. These medicines can be used independently or as additional therapy to modern medicines. Ayurvedic treatment can significantly reduce the morbidity (severity of disease) and mortality (death rate) associated with diabetes mellitus.

Diabetics and Good Foods

2008-08-19T04:52:00.001-07:00

Developed in 1981 at the University of Toronto primarily for diabetics, the Glycemic Index has become the compelling basis for a growing number of diets, such as the South Beach diet, among many others. The Glycemic Index has categorized various carbohydrate-rich foods according to the length of time it takes for each food to get digested and absorbed by the body. Foods that require the longest time to break down have the highest Glycemic Index rating. The rating indicates that such kind of foods can do the greatest harm for diabetics. On the other hand, foods that take the least time to break down have the lowest score or rating. This means that foods with low Glycemic Index ratings are good for diabetics. Foods with low Glycemic Index scores are also recommended for those who want to limit their intake of carbohydrates.

Good foods for diabetics undergo a slow absorption process. This condition allows the human body enough time to break starches and refined sugars down so that these compounds get assimilated properly. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics have problems in digesting carbohydrates. The higher the ratings of these carbohydrates on the Glycemic Index, the more difficult it will be for diabetics to digest these foods, and thus the more difficult for them to expel excess sugar from their bloodstream. Diabetics would do well to keep distance from foods rich in carbohydrates; and they would do even better if they discrimate against those that are harmful for them over those that are not.

Good foods for diabetics have low Glycemic Index scores or ratings. Although categorized as carbohydrates, these foods present less problems for diabetics to digest and therefore healthier compared to other foods with high Glycemic Index scores or ratings. To avoid exposing themselves to unnecessary risks, diabetics may substitute foods that are high on the Glycemic Index ratings with low carbo ratings, many of which are readily available in food stores or supermarkets anyway.

Foods with low Glycemic Index ratings consist mostly of vegetables and fruits. Although vegetables and fruits contain sugar, the type of sugars found in these good glycemic foods get digested at a lower pace, aside of course from providing much needed nutrients to diabetics, or to anyone for that matter. The lone vegetable that rates high on the Glycemic Index is potato. Diabetics therefore should be wise enough to skip it. In terms of preference, vegetables and fruits in general are far better than corn flakes, white bread, white rice, and any food mixed with flour or refined white sugar.

There are other good foods for diabetics. Wheat flour-based pastas, basmati rice and wholegrain breads are recommended for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. These foods are helpful for those who wish to control the blood sugar levels and for those who just want to have a healthy diet.

It is thus not only a question of avoiding carbohydrates when one wants to manage diabetes, it is also a question of knowing which sets of carbohydrates are more harmful for diabetics compared to other sets of foods. Diabetes can be managed well by taking the right foods, complying with what doctors prescribe, and regularly monitoring the patient's blood sugar levels.

Are You at the Risk of Diabetic Foot?

2008-08-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

Diabetic foot is an umbrella term for foot problems in patients with diabetes mellitus. Due to arterial abnormalities and diabetic neuropathy, as well as a tendency to delayed wound healing, infection or gangrene of the foot is relatively common. Ten to Fifteen per cent of diabetic patients develop foot ulcers at some point in their lives and foot related problems are responsible for up to 50% of diabetes related hospital admissions.

Diabetic foot infection is a disease that is generally associated with damaged nerves and restricted blood supply due to diabetes, thereby causing deep sores and infections in the skin, muscles, or bones of the foot region.

Description
Diabetic patients are more vulnerable to foot infections. As the disease is often associated with low blood circulation and nervous disorders, people with high diabetes are more likely to be infected with foot diseases.

However, there is very little chance for the patient with a foot infection to realize the real importance of the situation; as he hardly gets a chance to feel any pain or discomfort in the region. In most of the cases, the ailment remains undiscovered, until, marked by some kind of weakness or fever occurring at frequent intervals.

Since, the root of the problem is related with the malfunctioning of the nerve cells, there are a number of problems that can arise due to the cause of the disease. Often it is found that the nerve cells controlling the sweating of glands do not work and as a result, the skin becomes dry, giving way to form calluses. These calluses are later on found to be the root of ulcers and other detrimental infections.

Diabetic foot disease is more commonly spread amongst those above 60 years of age. It is also found to be prominent amongst those with kidney or vascular disease, foot infections, excess and uncontrolled diabetes. People who have lost their sense of feeling or sensation or with some nervous disorder are all the more vulnerable to the effect of the disease.

Causes
One of the most predominant things behind the cause and spread of the infection is bacteria. Bacteria enter the skin conveniently through the cracks and fissures that are developed in the dry skin around the heels, corns and other regions of the foot . This in turn causes a slow and steady damage to the skin, tissue and bone in the various parts of the body. The bacterial sites may include, the blisters, corns, calluses on the skin; bunions, hammertoes, in the bones of the foot; any scar tissues from some earlier infection; and even in the ulcer affected regions of the foot.

Prevention
Prevention is by frequent podiatry review, good foot hygiene, diabetic socks and shoes, and avoiding injury.

Foot-care education combined with increased surveillance can reduce the incidence of serious foot lesions.

Footwear
All major reviews recommend special footwear for patients with a prior ulcer or with foot deformities. One review added neuropathy as an indication for special footwear. The comparison of custom shoes versus well-chosen and well-fitted athletic shoes is not clear.

A meta-analysis by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded that "there is very limited evidence of the effectiveness of therapeutic shoes". The date of the literature search for this review is not clear. Clinical Evidence reviewed the topic and concluded "Individuals with significant foot deformities should be considered for referral and assessment for customised shoes that can accommodate the altered foot anatomy. In the absence of significant deformities, high quality well fitting non-prescription footwear seems to be a reasonable option". National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has reviewed the topic and concluded that for patients at "high risk of foot ulcers (neuropathy or absent pulses plus deformity or skin changes or previous ulcer" that "specialist footwear and insoles" should be provided.

Treatment
Foot ulcers in diabetes require multidisciplinary assessment, usually by diabetes specialists and surgeons. Treatment consists of appropriate bandages, antibiotics (against staphylococcus, streptococcus and anaerobe strains), debridement and arterial revascularisation.

It is often 500 mg to 1000 mg of flucloxacillin, 1 g of amoxicillin and also metronidazole to tackle the putrid smelling bacteria.

Specialists are investigating the role of nitric oxide in diabetic wound healing. Nitric oxide is a powerful vasodilator, which helps to bring nutrients to the oxygen deficient wound beds. Specialists are using forms of light therapy such as LLLT to treat diabetic ulcers.

In 2004, The Cochrane review panel concluded that for people with diabetic foot ulcers, hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduced the risk of amputation and may improve the healing at 1 year. They also suggest that the availability of hyperbaric facilities and economic evaluations should be interpreted.

The appropriate treatment includes prior culture and proper detection of the infection. Then accordingly, some antibiotics are prescribed or if required, the infected tissue is removed from the site. Sometimes the doctors also make surgeries in the region of the ulcers to ensure an increase blood circulation in the region. In addition, the patients are also advised to keep a good diabetes check on their health.

Acupuncture is also practiced on the respective patient with a foot infection, in accordance with the degree of ailment. To enhance the body's ability to fight infections, doctors often prescribe several vitamin-enriched herbs and vitamin C to the concerned patients.

Diabetes and African Americans

2008-08-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

There is today a growing concern about attack of diabetes on African Americans. Data from the National Diabetes Education Program, for example, indicate that diabetes is hitting African Americans in epidemic proportions. The African Americans constitute one of biggest ethnic groups in the US that heavily suffers from Type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, the affliction is the leading cause of disability and mortality among African Americans in the country.

A number of factors that cause Type 2 diabetes has been identified. Genetic factors, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes during pregnancy and high cholesterol are some of the factors that are believed to cause some 95 percent of all cases of Type 2 diabetes. Although unsupported by scientific data, the genetic make up of African Americans is suspected to provide links to their vulnerability to the disease. Estimates place the number of diabetic African Americans at 3.2 million, 33 percent of them believed undiagnosed.

Within the African American communities, data indicate that chances of giving in to complications brought about by diabetes are higher among poor African Americans than other ethnic blocs. This raises the possibility that lack of access to health care services and helpful information with respect to the disease might be the chief reason why attack of diabetes at least on a certain segment of the African American population is on the rise. The possibility of contracting the disease is relatively lower for richer African Americans and equal to that of other ethnic groups.

Aside from lack of access to health care services, inadequate information on diabetes and lack of access to emergency medical attention and lifesaving drugs, most people who belong to poor communities are exposed to foods that may lack nutritional value. The mushrooming of fast food chains seem to target ethnic groups like African Americans. Foods served by fast food restaurants are often high in fats and carbohydrates, but low in nutrients that really matter. An example is French fries, which lead among food items that are not recommended for diabetics. Unfortunately, French fries have become almost synonymous to fast food restaurants. French fries are carbohydrates-rich and also high in fat, but wanting in protein. Low-income class households patronize these fast food restaurants because they offer relatively inexpensive choices of menu. They respond to the needs of families with limited budget.

The attack of Type 2 diabetes on African Americans can be foiled in various ways. If you belong to high-risk groups, these are the suggestions: One, find out from the Glycemic Index the list of foods that should be avoided by diabetics; and shun them. Two, try to get yourself involved in a serious exercise routine. If you are obese, make getting rid of extra poundage one of your exercise key goals. Three, avail yourself of regular screening examinations for diabetes. Try to get in touch with your local health offices, whose services are free, if you have no access to other providers of health care services. These tests are sometimes crucial to providing timely medication that may yet prove effective for otherwise hopeless cases.

Suggestions addressed directly to African Americans include resisting fast food restaurants. Unhealthy foods are not only suspected of giving rise to diabetes, they also lead to heart diseases and even cancer. They must realize the urgent nature of the problem. Type 2 diabetes has marked African Americans as relatively easy prey.

Hermilando D. Aberia is a development professional with the following key qualifications: (1) Master's degree in Development Management and a specialized training on project and procurement management from the Asian Institute of Management. (2) More than 22 years of professional experience gained from working as either consultant or key staff member of foreign-assisted projects, local government units, national government agencies and NGOs. My competencies include (a) facilitating and coordinating community-driven development processes; (b) knowledge and skills in all aspects of project management; and (c) research. (3) Excellent communication skills. I am proficient in spoken and written English, major Philippine languages like Tagalog, Cebuano and Waray, along with a basic knowledge of Spanish.

Diabetics and Foods to Avoid

2008-08-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

It was in 1981 when the University of Toronto professor, Dr. David Jenkins, completed a pioneering work that invaluably enriched the medical profession. He developed what is popularly known as Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index established a ranking system for foods rich in carbohydrates on the basis of the length of time it takes for the digestive system to break these foods down.

On the one hand, there are carbohydrates that break down very slowly. They release sugar, or glucose, slowly to the bloodstream. This kind of foods rates low in the Glycemic Index. People with diabetes, especially those who are using insulin, are better off eating foods with low glycemic ratings or scores. Low glycemic foods allow medication or insulin to respond more effectively to blood sugar and make it possible for sugars or glucose to break down normally.

On the other hand, there are carbohydrates that rate high on the Glycemic Index. They allow blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. Although these foods help people to recover quickly from energy-sapping activities or those experiencing hypoglycemia, they are harmful for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. They render medication or insulin ineffective.

People should familiarize themselves with foods that rate high on the Glycemic Index. They include white rice like jasmine rice, corn flakes, baked potatoes and white breads. Diabetics, either of the 1 or 2 types, should avoid these foods.

Other foods that diabetics should avoid include white bread, pasta or anything mixed heavily with refined white sugar or white flour. Doctor often advise diabetics that avoiding foods that rate high on the Glycemic Index is avoiding anything white.

High glycemic foods normally take a much longer time to digest. Sugar, or glucose, remains in the bloodstream of diabetics for a long time because their systems are unable to process and absorb the amounts of flour and refined sugar taken in. These unprocessed compounds stay in the blood and urine, which lead to symptoms like frequent urination, feelings of thirst and hunger, along with profuse sweating.

These abnormalities are bound to put pressure on the normal functioning of a diabetic's sytems. Kidneys get to work overtime and may start to malfunction. Blood sometimes mixes with urine. In dire cases, patients may faint and lose consciousness. A far worse condition is falling into diabetic coma.

Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics must always remember that foods with high glycemic ratings are harmful to them and should therefore be avoided. With a proper and healthy diet, regular monitoring of blood glucose levels, along with medication and insulin for more serious cases, diabetics can live full and happy lives.

Diabetes does not have to be a killer. It simply is an abnormal condition, which unfortunately afflicts many, that makes it difficult for human bodies to break starches and sugars down. Body systems have problems digesting these compounds normally. Thus diabetes can become dangerous to those who ignore what their physicians prescribe, eat harmful foods, and fail to monitor their blood sugar levels. Otherwise they should be able to contain the disease and lead long and normal lives.

Diabetes and Foot Problems

2008-08-16T05:29:00.001-07:00

It is not unusual for people to associate diabetics with foot problems. Perhaps the reason for this is that foot problems are highly visible and easy to observe. Foot problems are also among the most common pernicious side effects of diabetes. Thus diabetics, more than anybody else, must threat their foot problems early enough as these complications can lead to graver conditions.

Foot problems caused by diabetes arise from what is called neuropathy. If unchecked for long periods of time, high blood sugar levels among diabetics take their toll on their central and other parts of the nervous systems. The most adversely affected among them are the nerves in the diabetics' feet. Nerves in the foot area are farthest from the patient's brain and are therefore most susceptible to damage. Diabetics can sometimes injure parts of their feet and feel no pain from it. Such an injury may worsen into wounds or blisters, and they heal very slowly, if they heal at all. When the wound becomes infected, more serious foot problems caused by diabetes are bound to follow.

Loss of sensation in the feet of diabetics as a result of nerve damage also often goes along with dryness of feet owing to the inability of the nerves to prompt secretion of oil in the area. Dryness causes the skin of the feet to peel or crack, which further make these body parts get easily sore and more prone to wounds or injuries.

High blood sugar levels hamper a person's ability to ward off infection. It is therefore important for diabetics with foot problems to treat their infection not in the way it is normally done by persons without diabetes. Foot problems caused by diabetes are very slow to heal and, when infected, the wounds can eventually degenerate to gangrene. If the condition further worsens, amputation becomes necessary.

Foot problems caused by diabetes often begin with a wound on the diabetics' toe. The wound cracks and bleeds. The wounded person treats the wound, applies bandage around it, and hopes it heals. The wound hardly heals and soon gets infected. He sees a doctor who proceeds to address the wound with antibiotics. In some cases the procedure may work, in other cases it may not.

In the likely case that the wound is not healed and gets infected, gangrene may set in. Doctors know that gangrene can be dangerous; it can pose serious threats on the lives of patients. Thus diabetics with serious foot complications are sometimes confronted with hard choices: lose either their life or their toe.

But in other cases the gangrene may have already spread to other parts of the foot. This is aside from the fact that the amputated toe exposes itself to more risks of infection. Thus there are cases when a diabetic person loses not only his toe but also his whole foot. The malady can continue until he ends up losing his leg too.

There is no need to frighten diabetics with these pieces of information, after all, having the disease is dire enough. What needs to be emphasized here is the sense of urgency that diabetics must have when treating their condition, particularly with respect to foot problems caused by the disease. Losing a leg, foot or toe is not necessary. But diabetics must manage their ailment well so that they may succeed in maintaining a blood sugar level that will allow them to ward off infection and neuropathy. The key is for them to follow instructions prescribed by doctors helping them treat their disease.

Common prescriptions for diabetics include avoiding carbohydrate-rich foods, such as those rich in sugars and starch. Diabetics will find the Glycemic Index useful in determining which foods are harmful for their condition and should, therefore, be avoided. They also need to exercise regularly and maintain their body weight. This helps them energize their immune system. Finally, diabetics need to regularly consult their doctors. They must also monitor their blood sugar levels regularly. It is best for them to keep monitoring ledgers and share them with their physicians who should find the information useful when they prescribe medication or insulin. All of these pointers should help diabetics get away from the many complications that unfortunately threaten them endlessly.

Diabetics need not die from their disease. Glycemia is dangerous and can be lethal, but it can be managed. If you or anyone dear to you suffers from this disease, seek the help of your physician and follow what he or she prescribes.

Diabetes - What Pregnant Women Need to Know

2008-08-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

Statistics coming from the American Diabetes Association indicate that more or less four percent of expectant mothers gets to experience gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs when pregnant women who never have had diabetes before experience high blood sugar levels during their pregnancy, particularly at the latter period. Estimates put around 135,000 cases of pregnant women having gestational diabetes in the US every year.

Women who experience gestational diabetes are not likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is occasioned by the inability of pregnant women to put into their system insulin which their bodies produce naturally. The pregnancy-related hormones they produce make them insulin resistant. It is under this condition that expectant mothers get to develop high levels of blood sugar, which is also known as hyperglycemia.

It is normal for women with gestational diabetes to be treated even while they are pregnant. Birth defects linked to gestational diabetes, or to diabetes contracted prior to pregnancy, are not usual. Thus there may no need for much concern for babies going through this condition. The problem, however, can arise when gestational diabetes is allowed to go on untreated. The mother has excess blood sugar, which means the unborn child is receiving more than her or his share of fat and energy. This condition can lead to macrosomia, or fat baby.

Regardless of how most people may think that being fat is indicative of the baby being healthy, a child who is too fat has problems when the time for his birth comes. He might be too big to fit through his mother's birth canal. Such a condition will almost always require delivery by cesarean section. Moreover, overweight babies often experience breathing problems and may eventually, if they stay obese, develop Type 2 diabetes themselves.

It is good, however, that treatment for gestational diabetes is readily available. Doctors normally prescribe doses of insulin for the mother to restore her blood sugar to normal levels. Women who want pregnancy can prevent having gestational diabetes by preparing for it physically. The physical regimen includes regular exercise, weight loss, and taking a healthy diet. Women who are planning for pregnancy should also find the Glycemic Index useful. The Glycemic Index helps people identify which foods to avoid to prevent diabetes or for diabetics to help them contain the disease.

Pregnant women need, and should follow, doctor's advice with respect to exercise and diet, particularly with regards to carbohydrate intake. Even before they get pregnant, women would always do well to consult their doctors on matters concerning their weight and on ways of preventing diabetes. Professional advice is important for women to avoid complications during their pregnancy.

A pregnant woman who gets a diagnosis for gestational diabetes, as well as her child, has little risks of developing Type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes can be treated easily and is not alarming. Pregnant women can access plenty of medical care for their condition. What they need to do is follow what their doctors say.

Diabetic Cookies - Healthy Yet Delicious Dessert Tips For Diabetes Sufferers

2008-08-14T03:02:00.000-07:00

People used to think that being diagnosed with diabetes meant they would have to cut all their favorite foods out of their life. There would be no more cakes, chocolate, sumptuous desserts, ice creams or cookies. Doctors now understand the disease much better and there has been a lot of diabetes research done. Diabetic patients are now able to enjoy desserts made with a very small amount of sugar. There are many diabetic cookbooks available these days, containing many dessert recipes which contain either a small amount of sugar or a sugar substitute. Diabetic patients can enjoy making and eating these dishes without feeling guilty about ignoring their doctor's advice or taking the risk of making their disease worse.

Just about everybody loves cookies, so why should a diabetic miss out on such good eating? You can make diabetic cookies with a small amount of sugar, brown sugar or a sugar substitute. There are plenty of websites with diabetic-friendly cookie recipes, as well as many cookbooks. Examples of what you can make include rice krispie cookies, high fiber cookies, peanut cookies, soft cookies, marshmallow cookies, sugar-free cookies, almond cookies and there are literally hundreds of other kinds too. With a bit of imagination, you can alter them to your match your personal tastes exactly and have fun experimenting with spices and flavors.

Nearly all the diabetic cookie recipes you will find on the internet are completely free. Expert dieticians who understand diabetes well have put these recipes together to make them healthy, delicious and diabetes-friendly. The recipes tell you how many calories there are per cookie and how much sugar. Many of the recipes are high in fiber as well as being low in sugar. People who have tasted such cookies will gladly confirm that there is no compromise on taste. They do not taste much different to traditional cookies which are usually very high in both sugar and calories.

Doctors treating diabetic patients do not recommend cutting sugar completely out of your diet any more. Rather, they advise that a controlled diet plan is followed and low sugar or sugar-free desserts should be eaten in small quantities. If you need to stick to your diet but have a sweet tooth and fancy something delicious, these special recipes are ideal to satisfy your craving without ruining your special diet and guarantee to contain only the permissible levels of sugar allowed or less.

I Have Cured My Type 2 Diabetes - A1c Around 5 and Normal Reading in the Low 80's and No Meds!

2008-08-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

I was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes about 10 years ago. At first I just listened to my doctors that told me there was no cure for diabetes and I could treat my diabetes with diet, exercise and pills and live a normal life. The Doctors sent me to Diabetic schools, one that taught us what Diabetes is and how best to treat and live with it. Another doctor taught nutrition, mostly low fat eating and the best way to eat as a Diabetic.

One of the things the schools taught me was that Type 2 Diabetes is a progressive disease and things would continue to get worse and worse, so they would continually changes my medications.

Just like the doctors said, as the years went on, my blood sugar went up and up so they increased my meds. Not Satisfied with what I was taught at the schools I went to, I set out to do my own research. Things I learned were a bit scary, like all the drugs have bad side effects, even death as they kill off organs. That once you reach the limit (Maximum Dose) of one drug they have to switch to another drug until it is no longer useful. They keep this up until they run out of drugs to switch to. This usually happens in 1-20 years. Then there is not much they can do.

I also learned that any blood sugar reading over 140 is harmful and that an average reading of 139= an A1C test of 6.9 that is why you want your A1C under 7.

And that Diabetes has horrible side effects that include but not limited to:

* Blindness
* Kidney Failure
* Liver Failure
* Amputations
* Stokes
* Nerve Damage
* Heart Attacks
* Death

If you can keep your blood sugar under 140, your A1C under 7 and keep an active life style you should be fine for a while. But time and Diabetes march on and you can end up with these complications, unless you die from something else before they set in. So the way I see it, the only way to not get any of these complications or dying a slow horrible death was to get rid of this debilitating disease that they said has no cure.

For the last 10 years or more I started reading anything I could on diabetes. I found out that a cure was developed and our government paid them 30 million dollars to keep if off the market. People are being cured of type 2 diabetes every day.

After 10 years of research and many interviews with many doctors and healthcare professionals I have finally cured my diabetes.

What do I mean by "I Cured My Diabetes?" Before I was cured, here is what I had.

After 10 years and eventually reaching my Maximum Dose of Glyburide and Glucophage (metformin) plus Lisinopril for High Blood pressure and Lovastatin for high cholesterol here is where I was at:

* I had Morning mg readings of 220-250mg. I have what is called the Dawn Syndrome, which means my blood sugar reading was high in the mornings (dawn) and would come down during the day.
* Daily I would get my mg down to about 110-120mg
* My A1C tests were around 6.7 to 7.4 (testing twice a year)
* My blood Pressure was around 140' over 90's.
* My Cholesterol was in the 300's
* I tired easily. I had bad days where I just did not feel like doing anything,
* I had low days where my mg was below 70 and I felt real light headed and faint.

Remember all this is while taking the maximum allowable drugs.

Now that I am cured here is where I am.

* Morning reading of 80s-90s
* Daily reading around under 100
* Average reading a round 90
* A1C of around 4.7 - 5
* Blood pressure of 120's over 70's
* Cholesterol in the 200s

All this without any drugs, no meds of any kind, and with out eating a restrictive diet. I eat a normal healthy diet. I don't workout at gyms or even a home gym, which would be beneficial to overall health, but I am active. Now I have a lot of energy.

I am not a Doctor or health care professional in anyway, but with those numbers, I believe it would be hard for anyone to test me and say I have Diabetes. I may still have the underlying cause (I don't know) but, any complications I have will be minimized and I should be able to live a full healthy life.

The best part is, not only did I cure my Diabetes, but my wife, my sister and a couple of friend's have also cured their Diabetes with the information from When Health Matters.

UPDATE: Now that I am cured I am eating a normal good healthy diet, at least most of the time, but I do still indulge on things like pancakes, pizza and fried Shrimp! It is so good to be able to eat again.

UPDATE 6-15-08: I had to change my morning and daily reading as for the last month or so I have been in the 80;s morning and afternoons. My condition just keeps getting better.

I know I have not found a cure for all diabetics but for me I have found the correct combination. If you are type 2 and want to improve your health and maybe eliminate all your signs of diabetes then please go to my website. I have dedicated it to improving health and eliminating Diabetes.

PS: I am not a slick salesman or a real author with huge publisher behind me, I am just a truck drive that cured his diabetes.but I feel this information is invaluable and anyone that has diabetes or knows anyone with diabetes should get this information.

Diabetes Mellitus Symptoms

2008-08-14T02:59:00.000-07:00

There are many people who are not able to detect diabetes mellitus symptoms. Symptoms should be detected in the early stage, otherwise a person may develop serious health problems. It is advisable that you do not take diabetes lightly. Generally diabetes mellitus symptoms are very hard to detect and they cannot be identified at the early stage.

If a person has diabetes mellitus then there are no noticeable changes seen externally. Symptoms do not generally cause pain because the disease is working in the background. If the symptoms remain undetected for a longer period of time, a person has to face some serious consequences. Immediate change to ones diet is the first step in treatment.

No person can cope with diabetes on their own. If a person shows up any diabetes mellitus symptoms then it is always advisable to consult a doctor as soon as possible. If these symptoms are left and no precautions are taken then a person can easily develop some heart and kidney diseases. Even blindness may occur if proper precautions and medications are not taken on time.

The amount of sugar in the body is controlled by the insulin which is released from the pancreas. Whenever people drink or eat the food, it gets converted into materials which include sugar. Sugar is very necessary for the body to function and for energy. Sugar stimulates the pancreas which is absorbed by the bloodstream in order to produce insulin. Sugar also enters the cells from the blood with the help of the insulin.

Once the sugar reaches into the cells it gets converted into energy. This energy can be stored by the body or can be used immediately. When the body fails to produce enough insulin, the sugar is not able to move to the cells, this can lead to diabetes. Whenever the body fails to produce enough insulin sugar in the blood increases and cells get inadequate amount of sugar. This malfunction in the body creates certain diabetes mellitus symptoms.

It is always advisable that regular visit to a doctor are very necessary for everyone. Regular visits to a doctor can help a person to see the signs of diabetes mellitus symptoms. People afflicted with diabetes can lead healthy, normal lives if proper precautions and medication is taken in the initial stage.

How and Why to Start a Diabetes Control Diet

2008-08-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

Type II diabetes happens when your body becomes resistant to the insulin you are creating. Easy to say, but what does that mean?

Insulin moves glucose (blood sugar) into the muscles and liver. It stores glucose in the liver as a dense carbohydrate called glycogen, which your body uses as a reserve of glucose for use between meals or during times of stress. Once the glycogen reserve is full (and it's a pretty small reserve), excess glucose in the liver is turned into triglycerides (fat), and moved into your fat tissue. Thus, an overload of carbohydrates makes your butt bigger. Ever had your doctor tell you that losing weight will help your diabetes risk factors go down?

When insulin is high, your body goes into 'savings mode', and hoards your excess blood sugar for storage as fat. When insulin is low, your body goes into 'spending mode', draining your fat supplies for energy.

So what's the point?

The result of diabetes is that the body's cells have become resistant to insulin (so your cells do not absorb glucose to burn). This is what causes diabetes sufferers to have enormous jumps in blood sugar: their blood sugar isn't properly utilized, so it just sits in the bloodstream until your body can figure out what to do with it.

Thus, your cells enter a 'starvation' mode (nothing for them to 'eat') even if the diabetic has recently eaten. The brain interprets the starving cells' signals as actual starvation, and releases signals that make a diabetic hungry, especially for carbohydrates - which would normally stimulate insulin production in a healthy person, resulting in your cells absorbing glucose for energy.

What modern doctors or pharmaceutical companies do not often discuss, however, is that your body can burn fat as well as sugar (in fact, your body prefers it - your body gets as much energy from a pound of fat as it does from six and a half pounds of sugar!). The chemistry of fatty-acid metabolism is too complex to get into here, but the result for diabetics is this: if you can get your body to burn fat instead of glucose, you can stop relying on blood-sugar levels to maintain your body's energy supply.

Be careful.

The question for diabetics becomes: how do you start burning fat instead of glucose? The answer is simple: don't eat carbohydrates. This is a counterintuitive method of approaching a disorder wherein the biggest fear is death from a blood-sugar crash, but it works if you can get your body to make the switch from burning glucose to burning fat. This is done through a hormone called glucagon, which (along with several other hormones that are constantly pressuring your body to burn fat) triggers the fat-burning process and, as an added bonus, causes your body to turn its existing fat reserves into glucose (so even those parts of your body that require glucose, like the brain, don't require you to eat any carbohydrates).

Glucagon production, unfortunately, is suppressed by the presence of insulin in the blood. This means that diabetics are injecting the very substance that is keeping them from making the switch from glucose to fat! Of course, every diabetic knows that simply ceasing to inject insulin may be lethal. The trick is to make the switch slowly.

Each day, reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat, starting by cutting out processed carbohydrates like sugar and flour, then, if you need to, other high-carb foods like potatoes (most people shouldn't need to). At the same time, go out of your way to eat more protein - lots more protein. Proteins turn into amino acids in your blood, and glucagon production is stimulated by high blood amino acid levels. As you do this, slowly lower your insulin levels. Over several months or even weeks, you can work your way entirely off of insulin.

List of Foods For a Diabetic to Eat

2008-08-13T06:17:00.001-07:00

Firstly I would like to state that I am diabetic and I find it very difficult to create a diabetic diet plan and find foods that are good for me to eat. However after I bought a couple of eBooks and did a lot of research I found the information I was looking for and now I am going to share it with you.

The recommended daily calories for someone with diabetes is usually around 1200-1800 calories and consists of 50%-60% carbohydrates 12%-20% protein and not more than 30% fats. Now that is just a basic outline of what your daily intake should be I will go in to more detail below.

Some must haves for people with diabetes are Alpha-lipoic acid this is like a vitamin and it helps enhance the glucose uptake and improves diabetes nerves damage.

Secondly we have Omega 3 which helps to protect against the hardening of arteries.

The last one I would like to recommend is artificial sweeteners obviously everyone who suffers from diabetes knows that sugar should be kept to a low level in your diabetic diet plan so you can use alternatives such as aspartame and saccharin.

Foods that diabetics should avoid are high fat foods this is a big no no as well as foods with a lot of sodium. As well as this you should restrict the amount of alcohol you intake if you can just do not drink alcohol at all as this can cause health problems like liver damage and increase the risk of heart disease.

Foods for diabetics:

Carbohydrates: Bran, oats, porridge
Fruit: apple, citrus, berries, peaches, pears, plum, and rhubarb.
Vegetables - cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery, cucumber, onions, lettuce, olives, peas, pepper spinach, broccoli and tomatoes.

Proteins: Vegetables - beans, lentils, millet, soybeans
Free range chicken and turkey (skinless)
Lean cut of meats - pork, veal, beef and lamb.
Free-ranged chicken eggs.

Fat: Vegetables oils - sesame, soybean, sunflower, Avocados,
Poultry: mackerel, tuna, herrings and salmon.
Unsaturated margarine

Ensuring you know what you should and should not eat if you suffer from diabetes is essential in keeping diabetes under control and having a good diabetic diet plan is part of this.

Reverse Diabetes by Following Ten Simple Tips

2008-08-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

Diabetes can be a real pain at times. However, there is a lot that one can do to minimize that pain. Everything a diabetic need is to get started properly with the things he must do to keep his disease under control.

The ten techniques I have discussed here are a major part of what excellent care for diabetes is all about. Other things need to be done as well, but if you follow through one these ten, whether you're the parent of a diabetic patient or diabetic yourself, the others will fall into place.

* The positive belief that what you're doing is helpful for you in the long-run. The power of positive thinking is an important tool that help diabetics to do everything knowing that their efforts will bear fruit in the form of a long and healthy life
* With modern methods available for management of the long term complications of diabetes, it's sad, unfortunate, and unnecessary for a patient with diabetes to lose his sight or his kidney function because he wasn't tested early. For every potential long-term complication due to diabetes, there is an excellent test or study that can discover it when it's still at a reversible stage.
* Diabetes is a "hot" disease right now, mostly because of the surge in cases of type 2 diabetes Diabetes journals that used to be thin are not thick with new information.Every day you will learn something new about diabetes. With proper knowledge diabetics can fight diabetes very easily.
* Careful management of the diet in diabetes has been shown repeatedly to lower the hemoglobin A1c by 1 percent or more. And every 1 percent drop in hemoglobin A1c causes a large decrease in the risk of micro vascular complications like retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy.
* The diabetics who do the most exercise gets least complications. Exercise has so many positive aspects to it and such a minimal downside that it should be your routine brushing teeth.
* Most of the time poor diabetic control has little to do with problems that are outside the control of the person with diabetes and has everything to do with not taking medications, not testing the blood glucose, not following a nutritional plan, and not exercising. There are all kinds of alarms and monitors you can set up to prompt yourself to take insulin.The bottom line is that the best treatments in the world are of little value if you don't use them.
* The eye is the one organ that allows doctors to see directly into the brain - what they see happening in the tissues of the eye is probably happening in the brain as well. Doctors have wonderful tools for viewing and photographing the eyes and for treating any damage that occurs to them. Make sure that you have yearly eye examinations from an eye doctor or optometrist. Abnormalities can be spotted early, and treatment preserves vision.
* Home testing of the blood glucose is a truly valuable tool that has made an enormous difference in the successful management of diabetes. It's truly amazing that you can know your blood glucose in 5 seconds with less than a drop of blood.
* One of the sad consequences of diabetes that should never occur is an amputation of the foot. Amputations are preventable, but they occur when relatively minor foot problems, especially ulcers of the foot, aren't caught and managed early. Ultimately, foot ulcers should never develop in the first place.
* Planning is the key if you're going to keep your diabetes under excellent control. Think about what you will be exposed to in advance, and smooth the way. Consider doing dry runs to prepare for potentially difficult situations. Practicing how you'll handle situations before they arise makes it a lot easier to function when you're faced with the real thing.

Flax Seed - Good News For Diabetics

2008-08-12T05:06:00.000-07:00

Diabetics on the lookout for a dietary supplement to ease the symptoms of the metabolic disorder can find a healthy option in flax seed, whether in its whole, ground or oil form. Flax seed endeavors a holistic nourishment being enriched with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, dietary fibers, vitamins and minerals.
Considering that diabetes mellitus affects the body's metabolic functions, particularly impairing the sensitivity of muscle cells to insulin, flax seed is also an excellent nutritional complement to the maintenance of insulin-sensitizer drugs.

Blood Sugar Testers - How to Regulate the Amount of Glucose in Your Blood

2008-08-12T05:04:00.000-07:00

Blood sugar testers are particularly important for people who are suffering from diabetes to enable them to regularly monitor their blood sugar levels. It is more advantageous to monitor your blood sugar levels in your own home and to then be alerted to the high levels rather than visiting your doctor. Based on the range of the blood sugar provided by the doctor, you can see when you have exceeded that range and also if you are below the minimum level, all with the help of a blood sugar tester.
The main goal of these testers is to keep your blood sugar level within the non-diabetic levels. Keeping a regular track of your blood sugar levels can prove to be lifesaving especially when you have a tendency to consume irregular amounts of sugar.
Patients who are suffering from type 2 diabetes can benefit the most from blood sugar testers. Type 2 diabetes is actually a metabolic syndrome where the body is no longer able to control the amount of blood sugar with the amount of insulin produced by beta cells because of the strong resistance that has been developed to insulin. This resistance causes the liver and the muscle cells to release an uncontrolled amount of glucose into the blood.
The blood sugar testers test the amount of glucose that has not made it to your cells and is still there in the blood stream. People who are over the age of 40 and have sedentary lifestyles are more prone to develop type 2 diabetes. Moreover, this disease's symptoms are not very visible during the early years and are often confused with the normal symptoms of aging.
It is absolutely necessary for people who suffer from this type of affliction to regularly control their blood sugar levels, because the symptoms alone are not enough to show whether a person is suffering from diabetes. To maintain your blood sugar, it is necessary to stick to a balanced diet and regular exercise. Eating junk food can make your blood sugar levels shoot up. Try to have a balanced food intake, high in the carbohydrates that are digested slowly, like beans, vegetables, and fruits.
You should also try to regulate the amount of sucrose that you ingest by avoiding the intake of manufactured foods, such as bread, processed meats, candies, pastries, and soft drinks.
Blood sugar testers are easily available on the market in this day and age. The ascencia glucose monitors are considered to be the most effective and they only take a very little amount of blood from your finger, causing less pain. Due to this fact, you can easily have frequent tests using these monitors. Most blood sugar testers take a drop of blood from your finger and then place it on a card to get the blood sugar levels.
You must follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer, such as washing your hands before the test, collecting the required amount of blood, and reconducting the test if the reading seems inaccurate. You should also try to keep your meter clean so as to obtain the most accurate results.

Diabetes and Recurring Candida and How to Fix It

2008-08-09T00:32:00.000-07:00

Many people have diabetes and recurring Candida. This happens due to the imbalance in the sugar in their body. There are a few different options to solve this problem.

The reason that diabetes and recurring Candida happens is due to the sugar in their body. Candida thrives on sugar, and obviously, diabetics have issues with the sugar in their body.

As any diabetic knows, an appropriate diet is the best way to manage their sugar. The same is true when talking about diabetes and recurring Candida. The better they get at balancing their diet and their sugar, the easier and quicker they will be able to end recurring Candida.

It is best when dealing with diabetes and recurring Candida to have a diet packed full of vegetables high in fiber and low in starch. This includes such vegetables as broccoli, asparagus, turnips, and leafy greens. It is best to avoid any types of sugars, and carbohydrates as much as possible.

Carbohydrates metabolize in the body as sugar and are used as energy. This is why it is not good for diabetes and recurring Candida. Diabetics know that breads are not good for them. Luckily, the same foods that cause problems for their diabetes are also the same foods that help feed Candida. The foods that a diabetic should eat to keep their diabetes in check are also the same foods that will help cure their fungus problem. This is how diabetes and recurring Candida go hand in hand with one another.

Proper Diets For Those With Blood Sugar Issues

2008-08-09T00:31:00.001-07:00

When you have blood sugar issues you need to scope out proper diets. Trying to lose and maintain weight with any type of sugar related issue can be very hard. Not only can the illness cause weight issues, medications can make things worse for many people. The right diet can not only help to maintain a proper blood sugar range, it can also aid you in losing weight and keeping it off. The key is to find the right type of diet for you that keeps your sugar intact. Low carbohydrate diets can be very beneficial, just be sure to allow for times when you will need extra sugar fast. If you know how to regulate your food correctly, then you should have no problem finding a good diet that works.

Losing Weight With Diabetes

When it comes to losing weight with diabetes, you can find that it is a real challenge. Many of the medications that help to regulate blood sugar promote weight gain. The best way to loss weight when you have blood sugar issues is to first make sure your levels are stable. Once you have done that, you can search for proper diets that could work for you. Exercise is also very important for those with diabetes. Circulation problems are common in diabetics, so plenty of exercise can help prevent problems later on. Do not be discouraged if the weight does not come off as quickly as you want. Many times you have to allow your body to adjust before you can see any results. Always be sure to talk to your doctor before trying anything new. It is not uncommon to need a medication adjustment as you lose weight.

How Low Carb Can You Go

Proper diets for diabetes not only includes limiting sweets, but also requires you to watch how many carbs you eat and when. Any diabetic will want to limit their carb intake to approximately half the allotted calories they are allowed to eat per day. Therefore, a person on an 1800-calorie per day diet can eat 900 calories of carbs. These carbs should be spread out over the course of the entire day and limited. The best types of carbs to eat are fruits, vegetables, and starches. It is best to refrain from refined sugars and alcohol, as they can cause a sudden rise in blood sugar.

The Key Is Exercise

The more exercise you get the better. Not only are proper diets encouraged for those with diabetes and other related blood sugar issues, good exercise regimes are as well. Circulation to the lower extremities can be a major issue to those with diabetes. This can make it hard to notice when you get a cut or other injury, and can lead to a major infection. Exercise along with a good diet can aid in increasing circulation and help to maintain your sensation longer. This will lower the risk of systemic infection and even amputation. While losing weight when battling with diabetes can be difficult, it is not impossible when you have a good diet and exercise plan.

Tips For Incorporating Gestational Diabetes Diet Into Your Life

2008-08-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

Gestational diabetes is one type that is quite unique on its own. This is because it affects only pregnant women. The main cause of the condition is actually the presence of high blood sugar levels during the period of pregnancy. Since this type can have adverse effects on the fetus and its development, and the mother as well, then taking on the proper gestational diabetes diet is a definite must.

To determine if you are indeed afflicted with this type of diabetes, there is routine screening for the condition that should be done during your second trimester. This way, if the condition is indeed determined to exist, precautionary measures can be undertaken to minimize the adverse effects of the condition on both the mother and the baby. The sad thing about this condition is that if it is not remedied, complications can occur, which include hypertension, congenital abnormalities, premature birth, infantile diabetes, large fetus size, and other sorts of birth complications.

The typical gestational diabetes diet comes with certain modifications that the pregnant mother just may not be used to at all. However, these modifications are necessary, if you want to control the manifestations of your condition. The dietary prescriptions here would inevitably be individualized in nature, based on the metabolic nutrition of the pregnant mother, as well as the lifestyle requirements entailed. Thus, it is important to consult your physician for this. The basic changes that come with the diet include significant reduction of the simple types of sugar, like white table sugar and syrups like honey and such.

The more complex carbohydrates take the place of simple sugars, and these should be meshed with the balanced consumption of nutrients. To make the whole process easier, exchange lists are utilized. Interestingly, exchange lists were created primarily to make diabetic meal planning easier. However, over the years, exchange lists have also been utilized for dietary recommendations and various food guides.

Aside from these, you also have to remember that the overall diet should take into consideration all sorts of requirements, ranging from physical and psychosocial all the way to educational. You should also consider enlisting the services of professional health care providers, to assist in the management of the condition. These health care providers are trained to deal with the condition, so it would be just apt to rely on these professionals. Doctors and nurses can also assist in reinforcing dietary needs, as well as in monitoring blood sugar levels and administering insulin shots when needed.

Cure For Diabetes - Step Toward Advancement

2008-08-09T00:30:00.001-07:00

"Diabetes is irreversible". "Diabetes cannot be cured". We all know this well but still a question in the mind of every diabetic and his loved one is that how close are we to the cure for diabetes.

Actually it depends on our own mental level that is what we mean by this simple word CURE. Diabetes actually has many genetic and environmental causes behind it and therefore it has many ways of treating. Most of the research in the previous few years was for the prevention of diabetes and its management if it occurs. These researches are obviously very important unless and until the cure for diabetes becomes available. The final cure for this disease would be a replacement for the cells of the pancreas as it is caused by the malfunctioning of these cells that makes insulin. To do this an insulin pump would have to be inserted which would be regulated automatically by the glucose sensors. This pump has been invented and tested in about 500 people in different areas of world. But Glucose sensors are not yet developed but will be very soon.

Another approach which many of us are already aware of, is to transplant insulin producing cells into the person with diabetes it has been more difficult in humans, because human body looks at these cells as foreign invaders and tries to hunt them off. Many researchers are trying to overcome these problems it is here when we can say that we expect a cure of diabetes in the coming year.

Till the scientists, researchers find the cure to diabetes we have to to live with diabetes, we have to reprogram our minds so that it starts to believe that there is a cure for diabetes - its all about mind programming.

10 Simple Steps to Make Your Child His Own Diabetic Expert

2008-08-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

Involving a children in their own diabetes care is critical. Sooner or later as a parent or caretaker, you have to give up your control of food, injection, amount and timing, blood glucose testing, and all the other tasks that are required for good diabetes care. When you do so, you want to know that you're turning over the care to a highly qualified individual, your child with diabetes

Before you turn over the care, you can do a lot to prepare your child by letting him participate in what you do for him. Start by asking for his ideas and views about how you take care of his diabetes. Be sure to listen to what he says and show that you take him seriously by turning his reasonable suggestions into reality. This collaboration will have many benefits for your child, including the following:

It will increase his self-confidence.

It will improve his communication skills.

It will expand his knowledge as you discuss his ideas and why they're appropriate or not. It will make him ready to take over his diabetes care when you think the time is right.

Following are the ten steps you should take to make him an expert caretaker of himself.

Set Some Goals for Care with Your Child:Your child probably doesn't know if he wants to be a doctor or lawyer at the age of 8, but by this time, he may have an idea of how to handle his diabetes. If not, this is a good opportunity to discuss the subject with him and to really listen and learn. If your child doesn't have goals for his diabetes care, this is a time to set some with him.

Show Your Child How to Test His Blood Glucose: Unfortunately, at least at present, testing blood glucose means pricking your finger. And that can hurt, although modern testing devices keep the pain to a minimum. As soon as your child has good hand-eye coordination (around age 7 to 10), start letting him prick his own finger for blood glucose testing. Remember, he may have to do this for the next 50 or 60 years. He needs to find out how to produce a drop of blood with little effort, to get the test strip ready for testing, and to get the blood on the strip with minimal effort.

Shop for Food Together: Although your child may initially think that all food originates in the super-market, having him join you there can be a very valuable lesson in choosing good foods and avoiding bad foods. Start this practice at age 4 or 5 because he'll soon have to make his own food choices at school.

Plant a Garden Together: If you have a little space in your backyard, plant a garden with your child. Your child will be amazed to find out that he can start with one small plant and end up with boxes of tomatoes! If you don't have the space, go cherry picking or apple picking or some other fruit or vegetable picking so that your child realizes that food comes from the soil.

Have Your Child Help with the Cooking: Food is such a major part of diabetes care that it's essential that your child be able to cook for himself and prepare healthy food. Letting your child help you cook has many benefits.

Exercise as a Family: Exercise, as you know, plays a key role in your child's health. You can't expect your child to want to exercise if he sees his parent sitting in front of the computer.

There are many happy stories of the closeness that has developed between parents and children who jog together, not to mention the stories of chubby, shy children who grew up into lean, assertive adolescents because they exercised with their parents.

Show Your Child How to Administer Insulin: You may want to delay the time when your child calculates his own insulin dosage until you're certain he can do it properly, but teaching him to administer the insulin is also something that should be done early around age 10.

Plan a Trip Together: Planning a trip is another chance to get good feedback from your child while you teach him what to be aware of when traveling with diabetes. He can start participating in the planning when he's old enough to go to school.

Have Your Child Do Household Chores: Involving your child in such tasks teaches him

A sense of responsibility

A sense of competence

A sense of self-reliance

A sense of self-worth

Encourage Your Child to Play: Video Games (Really!) Video games are a favorite pursuit of today's kids, and they have so many different games to choose from. Now there are video games that teach about type 1 Diabetes, Top games are Starbright Life Adventure Series, Diabetes and Packy and Marlon.

Diabetes Natural Treatment - Cures, Remedies For Type 1, 2

2008-08-08T04:40:00.000-07:00

Do you know that diabetes mellitus is now the 5th leading cause of death in the United States? The good news is diabetes natural treatments that work are available.

Diabetes is a chronic disease in which blood glucose levels are high or above normal. Two things could happen. Your body cannot produce enough insulin or it cannot use its own insulin for cell energy thus causing sugar to build up in your blood.

Recent surveys disclosed that about 17 million Americans are sick with this disease. And the more shocking news is another 5.9 million people in the US do not even know they have it.

There are three types of diabetes. These are type 1 or the insulin-dependent, type 2 or the non insulin-dependent and gestational type which only pregnant women get. Another term for Type 1 is juvenile diabetes, because it happens more in children. The cause of this particular type of diabetes is the pancreas' lack of production of insulin.

Type 2 which is also known as adult-onset diabetes occurs due to the presence of insulin resistant cells in the body.

Although gestational diabetes develops in about 3 to 5 percent of pregnant women, it usually disappears once the pregnancy is over.

The best way to combat this condition is through natural treatment like naturopathy. Naturopathy makes use of water, light, air, heat, the right diet, and ample physical exercise as well as certain physiological measures. These methods do not require medication and surgical procedures which are not just painful but very expensive as well. Such procedures are not necessary with natural treatment because nature gives us the ability to fight diseases. Nature is a natural healer.

The best way to start the natural treatment to fight diabetes is to come up with the proper diet plan. Your diet should mainly consist of vegetables especially the dark green and yellow ones and whole fruits for an increased fiber intake.

Low fat dairy products, up to 3 ounces of cooked fish, poultry or lean meat, one egg, one quarter cup cottage cheese and one tablespoon of peanut butter are also allowed. Stay away from alcohol, sweets and fats.

A diet such as this, when combined with enough exercise can result in weight loss and cholesterol control.

You can use herbs known to cure Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes like Mango leaves, Asian Ginseng, Cinnamon, and Indian Gooseberry among others.

You can also use some of these herbs for natural processes like hydrotherapy, mud therapy, chromotherapy, and regular massages.

Lastly, remember that diabetes natural or green treatments are safe and healthy ways to maintain good blood sugar levels.

Don't Be Scared If You Are Suffering From Diabetes Mellitus

2008-08-08T04:39:00.002-07:00

A common type of diabetes that often takes place in people all over the world is the one which involves the patient's sugar levels rising up beyond the allowed levels in the body. This condition is well known as Diabetes mellitus. When a patient suffers from this kind of problem, he or she usually excretes urine that is full of sugar otherwise known as "sweet urine" by doctors. Other symptoms may include, experiencing moments of excessive thirst, irritability, experiencing nausea accompanied by vomiting, unusual weight loss and sometimes having a sweet smelling breath. As for men, this disease can make them have erectile dysfunction.

Diabetes mellitus usually occurs when the body fails to either produce or respond to insulin. Insulin is a hormone in the body that makes it possible for the glucose in the blood to enter body cells for it to be used for energy production. When this fails to happen, most of the glucose is forced to stay in the blood hence being saturated with sugar a condition that is known as hyperglycemia. For this reason, some of the excess glucose in the blood is forced to trickle into the urine and that is why you will find patients of diabetes mellitus passing urine that is full of sugar. Other problems that may occur apart from urinating sweet urine are such as, body cells experiencing starvation for energy or damaging of the kidneys, nerves, heart vessels and blood vessels.

A common way of diagnosing diabetes mellitus is through a test referred to as The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test. With this test, the patient is required to fast for about 16 hours before the test can be conducted. An initial blood sample is then taken from the patient before several other samples amounting to at least five within a period of 3 hours are taken right after the patient is made to drink a solution full of sugar. Once this has been done, sugar levels in the blood get to be compared with the ones in the immediate previous blood sample that was taken.

For people without diabetes mellitus, the first sample of blood after taking the solution, will appear to have its blood glucose rise very sharply but as the doctor continues testing, the subsequent blood samples will appear to have their blood glucose levels also drop sharply until they return to normal levels. However, the same cannot be said for diabetic patients. Diabetes mellitus patients will in turn have the first blood test show that glucose content has rapidly shot up but unlike in people without this disease where the elevated blood glucose reduced rapidly in the subsequent tests, in diabetic people, the subsequent blood tests will show a slow drop of the glucose levels.

There are four main types of diabetes mellitus that exist today and Type I also known as Insulin-Dependent Diabetes mellitus is one of them. This condition often occurs in people who are below the age of 30 years and is usually caused by the auto-aggressive T cells in the body that cause the infiltration of the pancreas which lead to the destruction of the insulin-producing B-islet cells. Type II also known as Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus is another type of diabetes mellitus that is usually caused by either inactivity, consumption of certain drugs, obesity or excess consumption of alcohol among other lifestyle habits. This disease is however common in people above the age of 30 years.

Another type of diabetes mellitus is known as Secondary diabetes mellitus. This condition develops as a result of a previous medical condition which may have caused a destruction of the pancreatic tissue that is responsible for insulin production. These medical problems may include, trauma, chronic pancreatitis not forgetting a surgical removal of the pancreas. To bring to four the list of diabetes mellitus is the Gestational diabetes. This is a problem for pregnant women which lead to both the expectant mother and the unborn child develop other forms of diabetes in future. An appropriate diet together with exercises may help to make this type of diabetes mellitus go away once the baby has been born.

Is Diabetes Care the Only Way For Survival

2008-08-08T04:39:00.001-07:00

Diabetes care or what is commonly known as diabetes management, is one important aspect that needs to be taken seriously since it is through doing this that a diabetic patient can survive for long without major complications. To achieve it, the patient needs to have the right kind of attitude needed to oversee the whole process. This is why a clear understanding of diabetes is required since it will help build a proactive attitude in the patient towards its proper management. For this reason, knowing that diabetes is a health problem that allows your glucose levels in the blood to either drop or rise above the required levels, may actually help you manage your diabetes successfully.

Once diagnosed with diabetes, an appropriate diabetes care needs to be undertaken. This care may include; constantly visiting your doctor for checkups, changing your diet, engaging yourself in exercises, reducing alcohol consumption, taking appropriate medication, sticking to the prescribed course of treatment among many other forms of management.When all this is done, it will always be hard for the diabetes condition to get out of hand and cause you serious problems.

By constantly visiting your doctor for checkups, you will be able to always know what amount of sugar level is present in your blood. Having this knowledge, is something that will help you decide the next step of action to take depending on the results. In case your blood sugar level needs to be taken up or brought down, then the doctor will be in a better position to advise you on what to do once this check up has been undertaken.

Changes in food diets being part of the changes taken to manage diabetes, often works depending on the type of diabetes you are suffering from. For cases of diabetes insipidus (low blood sugar levels), food and drinks containing a lot of sugar are usually recommended by the doctors. These may include chocolates, candy, tea full of sugar and so on. However, in instances where you are suffering from diabetes mellitus (high blood sugar level), food and drinks that are very low or do not contain sugar at all, are the ones that doctors may recommend you to take.

Exercising is another way of diabetes care which involves making the body do some activities that make it burn some of the excess calories and fat. By doing this, you help the body reduce the resistance that insulin (a hormone that allows glucose to enter the body cells so that it can be used for energy production) faces when trying to act on the glucose brought in after eating food. Another way that exercises acts as a form of diabetes management is making the rate of blood flow increase. When exercising, blood seems to flow at high speeds. For this reason, it is able to reach its destination points faster, something that also help glucose present in it reach the body cells faster and be utilized at the same rate hence reducing its content present in the blood.

Another way of diabetes care is by taking medication that is appropriate for your diabetes condition. This way, you will be managing the disease by treating it either through the use of oral medicines or through the use of insulin injections. However, this form of diabetes care needs to be done in accordance with the doctor's instructions in order to achieve needed results and avoid being subjected to unnecessary side effects that can be brought by the medicine.